SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government, through Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS), has begun reducing the storage capacity of reservoirs by optimally releasing water starting from Aug 16 in preparation for the Northeast Monsoon (MTL) which is expected to start in November.
State Infrastructure and Agriculture Committee chairman Izham Hashim said the initiative, to be carried out until Sept 30, involved seven dams under LUAS’ management.
He said the storage capacity of the dams will be reduced by up to 90 per cent, except for the Klang Gates dam, which will be reduced to 85 per cent.
"This strategy is intended to provide sufficient space in all dams to prepare for high rainfall intensity and to prevent overflowing that could potentially cause flooding downstream.
"The control of water release from the dams will be reviewed based on weather changes expected from Oct 1, ensuring that the storage does not exceed 95 per cent for all reservoirs except for Klang Gates, which will be kept at a capacity of 90 per cent before Dec 15,” he said in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 3).
Izham said that based on monitoring of the capacity of the dams, it was observed that there was a four per cent increase in the storage capacity at the Klang Gates dam due to heavy rain on Aug 12, recording 75mm in the catchment area of the reservoir.
However, he said, there was no overflow of water from the reservoirs due to the sufficient space available to accommodate the extraordinary rainfall.
According to him, the release of water from the dams is carried out in stages and is closely monitored by Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) by taking into account the river water levels and the seven-day weather forecast provided by the Malaysian Meteorological Department.
"Water will not be released if the river water levels show an increasing trend or if heavy rainfall is expected in the downstream areas,” he said. - Bernama
