KUALA LUMPUR • Residents in Malaysia's Klang Valley, one of the country's most densely populated areas, have received water supply sooner than expected after bracing themselves for four days of dry taps to facilitate repairs at a water treatment plant.

Works to improve the water supply system at the Sungai Selangor Phase 2 Water Treatment Plant by the plant's manager, Pengurusan Air Selangor, were completed in 14 hours on Wednesday, The Star reported.

The water cut, which began at 9am on Wednesday, affected 577 areas in the Klang Valley, which encompasses Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor state.

More than four million consumers in Malaysia had been advised to store two days' worth of water for what had been expected to be an 86-hour shutdown.

But by 11pm on the same day, Pengurusan Air Selangor announced that the job was completed.

Mr C. S. Tan, who lives in Taman Bukit Indah, said water returned at his home at about 6am on Thursday.

In preparation, he had stored several buckets of water and even filled up his bathtub even though his house has a large water tank.

Some areas that had been listed to see water cuts, however, did not see supply disruptions.

Pengurusan Air Selangor said yesterday water supply has been restored to 93 per cent of the areas affected by the scheduled water cut.

It said it was working to restore supply to the remaining areas in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang as well as Shah Alam.

"Water tankers have been mobilised to areas still without water supply and all necessary actions have been taken to stabilise the pressure and restoration, especially in areas and premises located on high ground and those at the end of the distribution system," Air Selangor customer relationship and communication department head Abdul Raof Ahmad was quoted saying by Bernama.