MELAKA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Melaka state government has announced there will be a water rationing exercise for three districts next week, as the water level at the Durian Tunggal dam takes a drastic dip.
While Chief Minister Adly Zahari said the Melaka Tengah, Alor Gajah and Jasin districts, which are all under zone one, will face the rationing exercise beginning next Wednesday (Jan 29), not all areas would be affected by the disruption.
The water disruption is expected to affect some 550,673 people, but how the rationing would be carried out remains unclear for now.
Mr Adly said the Durian Tunggal dam had breached the critical level with a reading of 38.5 per cent while the Jus dam is at 34.5 per cent and Asahan at 56.7 per cent.
"We need the people to conserve water and use rainwater whenever possible," he said in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Adly said the rationing would affect 62.8 per cent of residential and commercial areas in the three districts.
He said the exercise was indefinite until the situation improves.
He added that the schedule for the water rationing exercise will be announced in the media in the next few days.
Efforts are being made to ensure the water supply at Durian Tunggal and Jus are not being depleted, as they are transferring and pumping water from Sungai Gersik in Johor and Tasik Biru in Chinchin, Jasin, into it, he said.
In September 2018, hotels and residential areas here were badly hit by a water shortage.
Meanwhile, Melaka Consumer and Environment Association chairman K. Murali said the state government is going to face the wrath of the locals if they do not manage the water shortage in a professional manner.
"People are already unhappy with the lack of investment in the state as well as a drop in tourist arrivals, and now there is this situation with the water supply," he said.
Mr Murali said residents want to know whether the situation warrants a full water rationing, like what had happened in 1992, or otherwise.
A drought in late 1991 and a mistake in monitoring the Durian Tunggal dam level was blamed for the worst water crisis to hit the state in early 1992.
Locals were forced to buy containers to store their water supply for their daily needs for months.
