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Johor can meet Singapore’s water needs despite dry spell: Official

SINGAPORE — Johor will still be able to meet Singapore’s water needs despite a drop in water levels at the Linggiu Reservoir, said Johor Public Works, Rural and Regional Develop­ment Committee chairman Hasni Mohammad.

An area near the Linggiu Reservoir in Johor taken on April 19, 2016. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

An area near the Linggiu Reservoir in Johor taken on April 19, 2016. Photo: Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Johor will still be able to meet Singapore’s water needs despite a drop in water levels at the Linggiu Reservoir, said Johor Public Works, Rural and Regional Develop­ment Committee chairman Hasni Mohammad.

Mr Hasni was quoted by The Star newspaper as saying on Monday (April 25) that cloud seeding would be carried out around dams in the state. He added that Johor was obliged to provide up to 250 million gallons of water per day to Singapore under the 1962 Water Agreement between Singapore and the Johor state government, which expires in 2061.

“We will still be able to meet Singapore’s needs despite the drop,” he said.

Last Friday, the water level at the Linggiu Reservoir fell to a historic low of 35 per cent — down from 36.9 per cent about one-and-a-half weeks ago, the PUB said.

Water levels at Linggiu have fallen dramatically over the past year or so. At the start of last year, it was about 80 per cent. Eight months later, it receded to 54.5 per cent. This dropped further to 43 per cent in November last year, before falling to new lows in recent days.

Water rationing has been introduced in several parts of Johor.

When asked if Singapore had stopped releasing water from Linggiu due to its low level, Mr Hasni said that the PUB had to release water to prevent salt water intrusion that would affect the water treatment plants in the area.

Malaysia is currently undergoing a hot and dry spell, which started in January, and may last till September, the government warned over the weekend. Northern states like Perlis, Penang and Kedah have borne the worst of the heat, Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak have less than 25 more days to go before they run out of water reserves, an official said.

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