The Sungai Selangor dam, which supplies water to 1.9 million users in the Klang Valley, could see its water levels drop to a critical 30% in 70 days’ time.
Despite the rainfall in the Klang Valley and surrounding areas in the past two weeks, the water level at the dam, currently at 37%, has only gone up by 0.3%.
Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS) director Khairi Selamat said the amount of water released from the Sungai Selangor dam for consumption would be maintained at a billion litres daily during the ongoing water rationing plan affecting 6.7 million users in Selangor, KL, and Putrajaya.
“It would take 88 days for the water level to reach critical point at the Klang Gates dam, which presently stands at 53.82 per cent,” he said.
A water emergency would possibly be invoked if the water level does not improve by the end of April.
“We would have to discuss with the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) beforehand but we have not reached that stage yet,” Khairi said, citing a similar occurrence in September 2005, when water level at the Sungai Selangor dam dropped to 37 per cent.
He said weather patterns during the dry season were off-track compared to recent years where the hot spell would only occur between June and September.
“We noticed the dry season occurs every seven to 10 years. Two recent similar incidents were recorded in 1998 and 2005,” he said.
The Selangor government hopes for the water level at the Sungai Selangor dam to increase to 55% by the end of April. However, Khairi said it would take roughtly three months for the dam to reach that level, provided the average rainfall was 50mm a month.
“If we get 200mm of rain, which is equivalent to rain for the entire month of November, the water level at the Sungai Selangor can increase,” he said.
Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim
said the Langat 2 project could not have prevented the current water problems as it would have taken at least three years to be completed.
In 2008, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin warned that Selangor would face a water crisis by 2014 if Langat 2 was not constructed by then.
Khalid had then brushed the statement aside and given an assurance the state would not face water disruption this year.
See Also: Selangor doesn’t have a plan for a water emergency; Climate expert: another dry season is on the way; Water rationing to last until December?
Story: The Malay Mail Online
