After weeks of hot, dry weather, water rations, and waiting for the right weather conditions, four Malaysian states have begun cloud seeding exercises in the hopes that water catchment areas will be able to replenish their supplies, or at least veer them away from critical storage levels.
Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor have started instigating rainfall in the hopes that their dams will be able to raise their water levels, however slightly. Adding to the woes of people in these states is the return of the haze from Sumatra, which coupled with the prolonged dry weather and water cuts is making life uncomfortable.
Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip of the Malaysian Meteorological Department said: ” For the cloud seeding, our focus is mainly over the catchment area — the dam — so it will not stop the haze condition today, but I think in another two or three days, as the wind is strengthening, it will disperse all this (the haze).”
Authorities are confident that rain will fall in the targeted areas, but it is difficult to predict just how much it will increase water levels, so water rationing is set to continue.
Phase two of Selangor’s water rationing exercise is currently underway,covering more than 200 districts and 2.2 million people in the Klang Valley.
Residents will be getting two days of water supplied to to their homes, followed by two days without, to be repeated until the water supply crisis is resolved.
Through all this, Malaysians are advised to also be wary of another health hazard: the dengue fever outbreak that has so far claimed more than 25 lives and has infected more than 18,000 people. Those who are storing water in their homes during the rationing exercise are advised to cover their filled buckets and pails, and to regularly check their stagnant water stores for signs of Aedes mosquito breeding.
Related: Dengue, drought and now, dust: the haze returns to KL; Water crisis: cloud seeding hasn’t started yet; Dengue watch: 12,000 infected, 25 dead so far this year
Source: Channel News Asia
