275,000 residents face water rationing as Johor water crisis continues
KULAI: Despite some heavy downpours, the water crisis in Johor has worsened, with at least 275,000 people having to face scheduled water rationing.
Parts of Kota Tinggi, Penggerang and Mersing will be the latest to be affected due to falling water levels in dams and water treatment plants.
Water rationing is already on in Simpang Renggam, involving 150,000 people.
Johor International Trade, Investment and Utilities Committee chairman Jimmy Puah said that from Oct 8, about 100,000 people who get water from the Lebam dam in Kota Tinggi would be affected.
"After that, we expect scheduled water rationing to hit Mersing due to low water levels at the Labung water treatment plant, which will affect about 25,000 people," he added.
The date for water rationing in Mersing has yet to be fixed.
Mr Puah added that some of the dams had enough supply for just 10 days while others could last up to 90 days.
Among the dams which had shown a dip in water levels were Lebam, Upper Layang, Pulai, Pontian Kechil, Labong, Macap, Sembrong and Bekok.
Mr Puah said water rationing in Simpang Renggam would continue due to a drop in water level at the Macap Dam caused by the dry weather earlier.
"We need at least one week of continuous rainfall to replenish all the water in our dams statewide," he said, adding that they planned to carry out at least 10 cloud-seeding activities by the end of the year.
Mr Puah was hopeful that the rainy season by the end of October would help resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that people in Melaka were hoping the authorities would provide more effective contingency plans and take into account public opinion.
Food stall operator Rohana Abdullah, 43, said that if action plans were effectively carried out, residents would not need to suffer during the dry seasons.
"My knees and back are already hurting after having to carry five to six pails of water every day from the water tankers," she said. - THE STAR
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