Singapore starts supplying additional water to Johor

JOHOR BARU: Singapore's national water agency, Public Utilities Board (PUB) has begun supplying an additional six million gallons of potable water to Johor since last Saturday to meet the state's needs in the current dry weather that has severely affected water levels in Sungai Layang dam.

PUB in a statement here today said the move was in response to an earlier request by Badan Kawalselia Air Johor (BAKAJ) to provide an additional six million gallons of potable water per day for a month to supplement the water supply in areas serviced by the Sungai Layang dam.

"PUB has agreed to help, and has been injecting the additional supply of potable water from the Johor River Waterworks (JRWW) that PUB operates in Johor.

"However, this arrangement is temporary and subject to regular review," the agency said, adding that the move will also not affect the water supply in Singapore in the short-term.

But PUB explained that the water levels in Linggiu Reservoir has dipped from 40% to 33% in April and is at an all-time low now, since the hot spell occurred.
"PUB is monitoring the situation closely as the Linggiu Reservoir, which is operated by PUB, improves the yield of water from the Johor River from which Johor and Singapore draw water," the agency added.

Over the years, PUB has supplied about 16 million gallons of potable water per day to Johor.

From Aug 14, last year to Jan 8, this year, PUB had supplied an additional five to six million gallons of potable water to Johor under an arrangement similar to the current one.

PUB also assured that it remains committed to working with BAKAJ and relevant agencies to ensure a reliable supply of water for both Singapore and Johor. — Bernama