KUALA LUMPUR (April 22): Selangor chief minister Azmin Ali said today that water levels at dams across Selangor are still above critical levels, but noted that no one can afford to be complacent in this current dry spell and urged everyone to conserve water to ensure supply will remain adequate.
In a statement today, he said water levels at dams in Selangor as at April 20, have remained above critical levels, with Sungai Selangor Dam at 65.51%, Sungai Tinggi Dam at 75.76%, Sungai Semenyih Dam at 69.5% and Sungai Langat Dam at 73.27%.
Meanwhile Batu Dam, Klang Gates Dam and Tasik Subang Dam registered levels of 71%, 62.93% and 86.54% respectively.
According to news reports, at least four out of 20 dams monitored by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage were at critical levels as of March 23.
The four dams are Kwong in Kelantan at 27.9% capacity, Padang Saga in Langkawi (38%), Labong in Johor (14.3%) and Timah Tasoh in Kangar (38.8%).
“We cannot afford to be complacent, because the El Niño phenomenon will continue to affect rainfall levels and our water supply.
“I hope that all Selangorians will take responsibility [over] water conservation measures during this dry spell. Reduce your use of water hoses for washing cars or watering your plants. Factories with high water usage should install water recycling systems,” Azmin said in a statement today.
He said existing measures employed to mitigate the impact of the hot weather include active cloud seeding, pumping water from reserve ponds in Bestari Jaya, and constant monitoring along the rivers supplying raw water.
He has also urged the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) to increase efforts in campaigning for water conservation through the media, while instructing local councils to take action on unlicensed car washes, and advised Air Selangor to step up enforcements on water theft cases.
“A clean and adequate water supply is a priority for the state government; we hope that the public will work together to conserve water throughout the dry season,” he said.