Water Stress

In light of the recent tit for tat between the Federal Government, Selangor State Government and Syabas, and also between members of Pakatan Rakyat and BN,  I feel it is important that we are not distracted or misled from the real issue, which is water management. The core issue or problem if you like, is MANAGEMENT.

Below are a couple of charts which will hopefully give a better picture of the issue, instead of swallowing the dumb excuses and accusations dispensed by those incompetent fools.

As you can see, Malaysia is actually one of the least water-stressed countries in the world. Which means Malaysians actually have more than enough water for their own needs, with spare to sell to our neighbour, Singapore which happens to belong to one of the water-stressed countries.

First question: Why are we facing a water shortage then? The answer is mismangement and incompetence! And they have the cheek to blame the consumers!

Second question: Is the current company, Syabas, delivering in their job? Short answer, no. Long answer, although they have put the state in jeopardy, there's nothing you can do about it! Either they are untouchable or the governments are powerless or simply refuse to take action.

Which brings us to the third question: What kind of people do we have running the government? Both state and federal are incompetent and mismanaged the country's resources. They also seem to be powerless against a water management corporation or any other corporations which controls the privatised assets, such as the IPPs.

And the irony is, all the parties involved, federal, state & Syabas seemed to have agreed on one thing, which is to put the blame on the people!

Which begs the question, who actually runs and controls the country?

Water disruptions affect over 700,000 Klang Valley households

You've gotta hand it to these people. They have absolutely no conscience. You can almost imagine them holding back their glee when they make these announcements... so much for aspiring to be a developed nation.

If they've already decided that this will go on indefinitely, then obviously, we have an incompetent water management company and an equally incompetent state government.

But it's the people who have shown examplary tenacity, taking it like a champion with hardly a whimper.

I think the state government should draw up new building guidelines for Selangor and KL to include wells, rain water recycling and bigger water tanks. How about subsidising the people for bucket & water filter purchases? Not everyone possess the qualities and talents to be able to earn as much as you guys, you know.

As you can see, despite their jobs being one of the toughest in the world, could still manage to smile and laugh in the face of such huge responsibilities. Running a government is serious business you know... Syabas!

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Water disruptions affect over 700,000 Klang Valley households

PETALING JAYA: Over 700,000 households are affected by water disruptions caused by low water levels at treatment plants in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) said Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang/Shah Alam and Hulu Langat districts will face water cuts and low water pressure for an indefinite period of time.

According to a Syabas statement, the reduction in the flow of raw water from Sungai Selangor have forced the water concessionaire to reduce the water pressure to treatment plants which led to the water issue.

Some areas in Hulu Langat and Kuala Lumpur suffered water shortages and low pressure since June 17 due to production of treated water from the Sungai Semenyih and Sungai Langat treatment plants which could not meet the demand.

Some areas in Klang/Shah Alam also experienced water outages and low pressure on June 24 due to the temporary closure of the Sungai Selangor Phase 1 managed by the  Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (SPLASH).

This was due to the interruption of electricity supply from 4am to 6am the same day at the water treatment plant. This resulted in the reduction of treated water from the plant. The water supply to the affected areas are still not fully recovered.

Several areas in Gombak, Kuala Lumpur and Petaling experienced water outages and low pressure from June 25 due to the reduced treated water production from Sungai Selangor Phase 3. which was due to the rapid drop in the level of flow Sungai Selangor raw water.

“The water cut is inevitable as there is no alternative water sources that could be channelled to the affected areas,” the statement said.

Syabas predicted that the water issue will continue for a long time and the rehabilitation of water supply depended on the water level at the treatment plants.

Consumers are advised to use water wisely and to reduce usage where possible.

Syabas will be deploying water lorries and static tanks during emergencies but the resources are limited, as such priority will be given to places such as hospitals and dialysis centres.

Consumers can call Syabas hotline at 1-800-88-5252 for more information.

Syabas Unscheduled Water Cuts

Ok, so here's how it's going to be. According to the "Powers who control water", they will cut water supply whenever they want. Why bother with rationing when it only manages to reduce consumption by a measly 6%. Better just cut it unannounced so that the people do not have time to prepare.

The reason, this time is, of course, the people's fault again. You see, according to the "Powers who control water" whenever everyone takes their showers or flushes their toilets at the same time, the water level at the treatment plants drop so fast that they are forced to stop the supply lest the ponds dry up... yadda... yadda... yadda...

So, people, best you guys take turns to shower. I'm sure Syabas will be happy to come up with a schedule for you.

And that Priscilla woman should really stop accusing others of wasting water already... Sorry to spoil your fun, but, really, if you can't supply enough water, just let someone else do it. Then you wouldn't have to come up with these condescending excuses.

Sometimes, how I really envy them.

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Unscheduled water disruption because of over-consumption and dry spell, says Syabas

THERE will be no water rationing for now although there were unscheduled water disruptions in some parts of Kuala Lumpur over the past week because of the dry spell.

Confirming this, Local Government and Research Committee chairman Datuk Teng Chang Kim said there had been no discussion at the state level over a possible water rationing.

“Rationing can only be done with the consent of the state government and the National Water Services Commission (SPAN),” he told StarMetro yesterday.

Teng added that the decision to carry out water rationing would be made by SPAN.

“Whoever proposes for water rationing, SPAN will have the last say,” he added.

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) corporate communications and public affairs manager Priscilla Alfred reiterated that Syabas did not order the water cuts last week.

“It was over-consumption of water and the dry season that had led to the disruptions of water supply in some parts of the city,” she said.

“Unscheduled water disruption happens when the water level at the treatment plant reduces quickly due to heavy usage.

“It is impossible for Syabas to estimate how quick water in the treatment plant diminishes, it all depends on the water consumption,” she said.

Water level at the treatment plant mostly drops drastically in the evenings due to heavy consumption, she added.

During the dry season in June, July and August, the public tend to consume more water too, said Priscilla.

“Water consumption is mostly heavy in the evenings when people get back home after work.

“During the hot season, people consume more water and within few hours we can run out of treated water. This leads to unscheduled water disruption. Syabas does not cut water supply,” she said.

Priscilla advised the public not to use too much water to prevent water disruption.

As at press time, the Selangor Water Management (LUAS) website, showed that the water level at all dams in Selangor was above the critical level of 35%.

However, Sungai Selangor dam showed the level being at 43.16%.

It was earlier reported that unscheduled water disruption in parts of Kuala Lumpur could have occurred for an indefinite period unless users reduced their consumption.

About 17,500 people were affected by the latest water disruption since June 19, which was attributed to the demand exceeding supply.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2014/06/24/No-rationing-for-now-Unscheduled-water-disruption-because-of-overconsumption-and-dry-spell-says-Sy/

Hulu Langat Water Cut

Just last week, the Selangor Mentri Besar guaranteed an end of water rationing. The next thing you know, Syabas cuts water to 24 areas in Hulu Langat. So, they've decided to do away with water rationing, and instead going for unscheduled water cuts.

Looks like some people are having tons of fun mucking around with water. Count yourselves lucky they don't control the air! Oh, actually they do. But no one seems bothered with the yearly haze, air & river pollution, etc. Cigarette smoke and plastic bags are more important.

Ordinary folks cannot smoke in public but the plantation/farm owners can burn to their heart's content.

Ordinary folks cannot use plastic bags but factories are free to pollute the air and rivers.

Ordinary folks should not waste water, but the state can waste as much as they want through old leaking pipes.

To digress a bit, sometimes I wonder if people has got their priorities right. They tend to parrot those "save the earth" propagandas, because it's the hip thing to do, without thinking. Or is it hypocrisy?

Take for example, cigarettes and alkohol. Why is it that cigarettes get such bad rep compared to alcoholic beverages?

Both are addictive and harmful. Cigarettes are extremely harmful to the user but the harm done to other people is actually negligible, unless you lock yourselves in a small room and puff like a chimney. Alcohol on the other hand, has been proven to harm others in much greater numbers and frequency. Drunk driving, domestic and public violence, damage public properties, and even sexual crimes (if you're unlucky), or liaisons (if you're lucky). Cigarette smoking has never been known to cause any of those.

If they can come up with campaigns and enforcement against cigarettes, why can't they do the same for open burning? or alkohol? or pollution? or gambling even.

Anyway, the tap is still flowing, but the sky seems hazy.

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24 Areas In Hulu Langat Brace For Water Cuts - Syabas

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- Twenty- four areas in the Hulu Langat District are now bracing for unscheduled water disruptions due to depleting water in six main reservoirs as the demand is higher than the supply capacity, affecting 33,446 houses.

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) corporate communication and public affairs general manager Priscilla Alfred said the areas were Kampung Bahagia in Bangi, Taman Jernang Jaya, Nuclear Centre, Genom, UKM Lingkungan 2, Taman Wawasan, Section 14, Section 15, Section 16, Section 1, Section 2, and Section 5 Tambahan in Bandar Baru Bangi.

Other areas are Section 4 Tambahan, Section 3, Section 4, Section 15 Tambahan, Section 13 Industrial Area in Bandar Baru Bangi, Bangi Golf Resort, Bandar Teknologi Kajang, Taman Harmoni Kajang, PKNS Beranang, Bandar Tasik Kesuma, Kampung Teras Jernang, and Taman Bukit Semenyih, she said in a statement today.

The depleted reservoirs in Bangi, Tasik Kesuma, Bandar Teknologi, Bangi Golf Course, Semenyih Baru, and Kajang Utama are receiving water from the Semenyih Water Treatment Plant, she said, adding that ironically the water treatment plant had reached its maximum capacity.

She said Syabas was having difficulty in getting treated water supply from alternative sources in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya as their reserve was already below one per cent.

Syabas is monitoring the situation and will update consumers on the development, she added.

- http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v7/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=1047180