Hot weather: Water supply still under control - SPAN

Water supply in the peninsula and Labuan is still under control even though the country is currently facing hot weather caused by the El Nino phenomenon which is expected to continue until March.

National Water Services Commission (SPAN) chairman Datuk Ismail Kasim said up till now SPAN had yet to receive any report on the scarcity of water due to the current hot weather.

However he urged water operators in all the states to closely monitor the water resource situation in the dams and rivers that supplied raw water sources to water treatment plants in each state.

"This is because state governments are responsible to ensure water resources in their respective states are adequate to meet the demands of water supply," he said in a statement, Monday.

He also urged the state government to study alternative sources such as underground water and ponds to increase water resources besides dams and rivers.

Consumers were also advised to be prudent and not be wasteful in the use of water supply to ensure existing water resources could last longer.

On January 8, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Madius Tangau said the current hot and dry weather was due to the El Nino phenomenon, which was expected to last under the first quarter of 2016.

The strong El Nino phenomenon is expected to cause a decline in rainfall of between 20 per cent to 60 per cent and temperatures to rise from 0.5°C to 2.0°C compared to normally.