KUALA LUMPUR: ABOUT three million consumers from more than 700,000 households in Selangor and here are experiencing unscheduled water cuts because of an insufficient supply of treated water.
Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) general manager Priscilla Alfred said those affected were in Gombak, Petaling, Klang, Shah Alam and Hulu Langat.
Priscilla said several areas here and in Hulu Langat had been facing water disruptions since June 17 as the Sungai Semenyih and Sungai Langat treatment plants were unable to meet the high demand for treated water.
Other areas in Klang and Shah Alam had been experiencing disruptions and low water pressure because of the temporary closure of the Sungai Selangor Phase 1 (SSP1) treatment plant managed by Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash).
“This had also resulted in electricity cut from 4am to 6am
in some areas on Tuesday,” she said.
She added that water supply to the areas had yet to be restored
even though the plant was reopened.
Priscilla said Splash’s move to reduce the production of treated water at the Sungai Selangor water treatment plant following a drop in raw water level had caused
similar problems in some areas in Gombak, Kuala Lumpur and Petaling.
She said some 758,975 households in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur would continue to experience disruptions as the water reserve was less than one per cent, adding that Syabas would deploy tankers and static tanks to help the affected residents.
Priority, however, would be given to hospitals, dialysis centres and other critical installations.
More areas are also expected to face water disruptions due to the prolonged dry spell.
Selangor Youth and Sports, Infrastructure and Public Utilities committee chairman Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi had, on June 17, said the state had enough water to last for at least four to five months, based on water levels in retention ponds and dams.
“At this point, we guarantee that water rationing will not take place,” he had said.
He also said there was enough water supply in the coming months without the cloud-seeding or alternative sources of water, particularly from former mining or retention ponds.
But Water and Energy Research Malaysia Association president S. Piarapakaran said consumers would continue to face water problems as long as the Langat 2 project was not completed.
He said if there was unscheduled maintenance of water treatment plants or a prolonged dry spell, Klang Valley residents would face severe water shortage.
Piarapakaran said no one could give a blanket assurance that there would be enough water.