By Norrasyidah Arshad
SHAH ALAM, Aug 1 — The ongoing hot spell in the country has not affected the raw water capacity of the state’s seven dams, which serve as water supply sources for users in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya.
Citing the Integrated Water Resources Information Management System, state executive councillor for infrastructure Izham Hashim said the Sungai Semenyih Dam, for example, is currently at full capacity, while the Sungai Langat Dam is at 99 per cent.
Four other dams also recorded water levels above 90 per cent, namely Tasik Subang (98 per cent), Batu (95 per cent), Sungai Tinggi (94 per cent), and Sungai Selangor (93 per cent).
“As of July 30, only the Klang Gates Dam has a relatively low capacity at 80 per cent. However, it is not affecting water supply to consumers. Water level at the Sungai Labu Off River Storage is also good, at 99 per cent.
“Even if there is no rain for six months, we will be able to endure because we have over 100 alternative ponds and lakes storing more than 34 million cubic metres of water. This can help us sustain ourselves,” he told the press at a programme in Damansara yesterday.
Izham added that Selangor does not only rely on its dams for raw water supply, as most of the water treatment plants (WTP) in the state also receive water from rivers, including the Labohan Dagang and Langat 2 WTPs.
Tthis effectively helps the state sustain water supply even during prolonged hot weather.
“Other states are affected by the hot weather because they only rely on their dams, but we have rivers, ponds and lakes too.
“We only face water supply issues if there is contamination of the sources. That is why we launched the Raw Water Security Scheme project, which is expected to be operational this October,” he 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 decreased.
