MELAKA: The state will conduct scheduled water rationing if all of its three dams fall below the 70% mark, says Datuk Hameed Mytheen Kunju Basheer.
“We will no longer wait for the water levels at the three dams to dip to critical points before activating the rationing exercise,”he said after hosting a Hari Raya open house at Kampung Jeram in Masjid Tanah here on Sunday (May 14) night.
The state road works, infrastructure, public amenity and transportation committee chairman said the decision on implementing the support measures was reached in a bid to circumvent the 2020 water crisis.
He said the rationing exercise would only affect residential properties and not commercial areas if it is activated due to a prolonged dry spell.
However, Hameed Mytheen said that the water levels at the Durian Tunggal, Jus and Asahan dams are still at their full capacity and added that there is no need for water rationing for now.
“We are only looking at contingency measures in case the levels drop; the water at the three dams can last up to September if there is no rain," he added.
“The state is able to ensure that there is enough to last until November if the water rationing is activated in the event that the levels at all three dams reaches 70%," said Hameed Mytheen.
He also said that the Melaka government needs the cooperation of residents in the state to help conserve water even though the situation is not at a critical level.
Hameed Mytheen added that the state has backup plans, including the pumping of water from Ayer Keroh Lake and three reservoirs at Tasik Biru in Chinchin and Jasin to the dams if the levels decrease.
On the Jernih Dam, he said that construction work is still in progress despite issues with land reclamation for it.
The dam in Alor Gajah has a capacity of supplying 13,000mil litres of water and is projected to support population growth in the state until 2030.
In 2020, Melaka witnessed the worst water rationing exercise, affecting households and industrial areas.
The rationing exercise was carried-out in stages and lasted for almost three months from Jan 29 to April of the same year.
