KUALA LUMPUR: Residents in areas of the Klang Valley affected by the scheduled water cuts today began their preparations by storing water to last till Thursday.
Checks by Bernama found several business premises, especially eateries, made preparations well ahead, some since last week.
Kampung Baru steamed chicken rice seller, Ahmad Zulfaqarullah Mohd Zuhdi, 29, shared that he and his business colleagues began storing clean water in their water barrels since Sunday.
"Even though there's talk that my area is unaffected, we need to be ready for any possibility, especially since I'm selling food. Water is really important for drinks and washing cutlery," he said.
A food eatery operator in Puchong, Zaiton Abd Hamid, 65, meanwhile said that besides preparing early, she needed to be prudent with the use of water to ensure that whatever she kept was enough to last throughout the duration of the water disruption.
"Its times like these that more people will choose to eat out," she said.
The scheduled water cuts announced by Air Selangor has caused demand for water storage products to rise around Kuala Lumpur, as evidenced by an uptick in customers at various household goods shops around the capital city.
A worker at a household goods shop, Justice Poh, 24, shared that sales of water containers and pails were brisk throughout the last week.
"There are a lot of people buying. We had to restock this week because everything's gone," she added.
Mohd Idzham Dzulkifly, 39, a customer at the shop said that these items were at the top of his list during such water disruptions.
"It's my first time facing this situation. So I'm here to buy some containers to store water for my family's use," he said.
Fellow shopper, retiree Jamaliah Bahadur Hisham was also browsing through the items looking for several containers to store water for her family's use.
"This Thursday I'm headed to Makkah, I can't just let my children sit at home without water, so I'm here to buy four for my home as well as theirs as they live in affected areas as well," she said.
Air Selangor issued a statement last month announcing water cuts that would affect seven areas in the Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur, Gombak, Hulu Selangor, Klang, Kuala Selangor, Petaling and Shah Alam, with water supply being disrupted until June 7.
The scheduled water cuts were due to maintenance work and replacement of assets at the Sungai Selangor Phase 1 water treatment plant, and consumers can expect to receive water in stages from 3am, June 6.
Further information on the scheduled water cuts will be updated periodically through Air Selangor's official communications channel at https://waterupdates.airselangor.com/ or via the Air Selangor app, Facebook, Instagram and X account, or by contacting Air Selangor at 15300.
-- BERNAMA