No directive for 3rd stage of water rationing - Syabas

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) said it had yet to receive any directive from the Selangor government to implement the third stage of water rationing necessitated by the current drought.

Syabas Corporate Communications and Public Affairs assistant general manager Priscilla Alfred said there would no change to the second stage of the water rationing.

The second stage started on Sunday following a reduction by 200 million litres a day in the release of raw water from the Sungai Selangor Dam.

In a portal yesterday, Selangor state executive councillor Elizabeth Wong stated that the people of Selangor must prepare themselves to face the third phase of rationing if the level of water in the Klang Gates Dam continued to drop.

She said the third stage of rationing would involve more consumers, including people living in the Ampang and Melawati areas.

Wong was quoted as saying that as of yesterday the water at the dam was at 52.91 percent capacity.

She said the situation would be declared as critical if the level dropped to 50 percent, which would force the implementation of the third phase of water rationing.

Priscilla, asked to comment on the complaints by consumers that they received muddy water upon resumption of the water supply each time, said it was caused by sediments in the Syabas mains system.

"It is definitely an issue, but it only happens to consumers in certain areas. As such, we urge the affected consumers to let the water flow for a few minutes before using it, because it is unsafe for use," she said.

The second stage of water rationing, involving 260 areas with 413,617 households, entered its fourth day today.