Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry secretary-general Dr Zaini Ujang said to ensure that water supply could be restored as scheduled, users should not store water more than needed.
“For example, a household that normally uses one cubic metre of water should not be storing three cubic metres of water, this is ‘panic storing’. The water is available (during disruption) but it is very limited.
“As such, the users do not have to keep too much water. Do not store water more than neccessary,” he told a press conference on the water supply disruption at the ministry, here today.
He said the water supply disruption in Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Gombak, Kuala Langat, Hulu Selangor, Kuala Selangor and Kuala Lumpur was expected to be fully restored on Friday (Dec 23).
“When ‘panic storing’ happens, the system will become empty. This means we need more time to fill up the pipes, the tanks and the reservoirs,” Bernama reported him as saying.
Zaini said the decommissioning of water treatment plants meant that areas at the end of the supply chain and on high ground would experience longer disruptions.
“This is because adequate water is needed so that the distribution system can operate as usual in low reserve margins of 2-3%.”
The present water supply disruption is due to maintenance work carried out at Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s (TNB) sub-station at Bukit Badong, Kuala Selangor.
Syarikat Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd has provided 64 water tankers for supply to users, especially for festive occasions and emergencies.
Zaini said Dec 19 was chosen for maintenance work after considering factors such as the decommissioning of the Langat Water Treatment Plant on Dec 6 and the completion of school examinations.
“Another factor is the low usage of water per capita at the end of the year compared to other months.
“Based on data monitoring of the Bukit Badong TNB sub-station, the ministry decided that maintenance work must be done immediately to reduce the risk of serious power failure,” he said.
The water supply disruption is expected to affect some 3.8 million users in 814 areas in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
In a statement today, Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd said the water recovery process would begin as soon as TNB repair and maintenance work at the Bukit Badong substation was completed.
“TNB work, which began at 8am today, is progressing according to schedule. The work is expected to be completed by midnight today,” it said
It said it was working to speed up the water recovery process for consumers, following instructions from its board of directors.
While the work is ongoing at the Bukit Badong substation, the Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2 and 3 water treatment plants will remain operational, although at about 50% capacity, powered by generator sets. This is to expedite the restoration of water supply.
“To ensure that water supply is distributed efficiently when the plants fully resume operations tomorrow, water will be distributed according to a schedule, to affected areas according to zones.
“Usually, when a plant resumes operation following a shutdown, the restoration of water in areas located at the end of the water distribution system and on higher ground will take a little longer.
“The scheduled water supply will help speed up the recovery in these areas. With the scheduled recovery in place, water distribution to affected areas using water tankers can be better managed,” it said.
To request for relief water supply, send an SMS to 15300 with the message TANKER name and address.
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