By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, July 31 — Selangor has more than 580 million cubic metres of raw water reserves to supply to the state's residents in preparation for the drought season affecting Malaysia.
Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) director Hasrolnizam Shaari said the supply in seven dams, including the Sungai Labu Reservoir Pond (ORS) and 100 downstream ponds involving three main catchments, can last at least nine months.
Currently, the water levels in the aforementioned dams are also above 90 per cent, based on the Integrated Water Resources Information Management System (iWRIMS).
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Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) director Hasrolnizam Shaari speaking at the Hi-Tea event with media practitioners at i-City in Shah Alam, on June 2, 2022. — Picture by BERNAMA[/caption]
“With this capacity, it equates to more than 500 million cubic metres of stored water, which can last over six months. It can be used when river flow is insufficient and if there is no rain.
“We do not rely solely on the reservoirs in the dams but also identify downstream ponds in three catchments involving Sungai Selangor, Sungai Langat, and Sungai Klang, which can produce around 80 million cubic metres.
“If Selangor faces a situation similar to states experiencing a raw water shortage, our reserves are available and can last nine months,” he said.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Media Selangor today, Hasrolnizam said the state's residents need not worry about the current scenario as the existing supply is sufficient to meet everyone's needs.
However, he advised all parties to practice healthy habits of using treated water, limiting usage to 260 litres per day.
“If residents adopt the same approach of using 260 litres of water per day, perhaps with the current situation, the supply capacity we have will be able to last.
“If a prolonged drought of more than nine months occurs, it is likely the supplied water may not be sufficient for longer-term use,” Hasrolnizam said.
Due to the prolonged hot weather phenomenon, water levels in several dams in Kedah and Perak, including the Bukit Merah Dam and the Muda Dam, have experienced reductions.
