Scheduled water rationing in Kota Tinggi, Mersing extended by a month

Scheduled water rationing involving 85,000 consumers in some parts of Kota Tinggi and Mersing which was supposed to have ended on May 15, will be extended for another month as the water level at several treatment plants and dams continued to drop.

State Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the water level at Congok Dam in Mersing, for example, was expected to last for only two weeks if there was no rainfall in the catchment areas.

"We expect the scheduled water rationing in Mersing and Kota Tinggi to be extended to other areas if the situation persists," he told reporters Thursday.

The water level at the Congok Dam was recorded at 3.9 metres, compared to 4.22 metres on May 3. It dropped from the critical level of 4.5 metres.

Scheduled water rationing would also be extended to some parts of Johor Baharu and Pasir Gudang which would begin at the end of this month, involving some 800,000 consumers, said Hasni.

He said the water level at the Upper Layang Dam, which supplied water to consumers in Johor Baharu and Pasir Gudang, had also dropped from 19.55m to 19.25m as at May 3, below the critical level of 23.5 metres.

Through a cloud seeding exercise carried out since April, there has been rain in some parts of the state but rain did not fall in the water catchment areas.

"Therefore, we will intensify the operations and we might cooperate with private aviation companies to increase the flight frequency for such operations," he said, adding that the state government had allocated RM300,000 for the cloud seeding.

He added that both Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Johor Water Regulatory Body would submit a proposal for the construction of tube wells in critical areas such as hospitals and schools.

Hasni said 189 paddy planters around Labong Dam in Mersing were badly affected as the water supply from the dam was only enough to supply water for drinking and daily supply.