IPOH: Dams in Perak can supply water for domestic use statewide for three months, despite the hot weather phenomenon which is expected to persist until the end of March.
Perak Water Board general manager Datuk Ir Mohd Yusof Mohd Isa said there were no significant reductions in water levels at the dams.
Currently, he said the water level of the Air Kuning Dam was at 42.52m, while the Sultan Azlan Shah Dam was at 243.9m.
‘’The normal level for the Air Kuning Dam is 42.5m while the Sultan Shah Dam is 245m. This shows the water at the dams are adequate to be supplied to the consumers,’’ he told Bernama today.
Perak Drainage and Irrigation Department director, Datuk Ir Dr Ahmad Anuar Othman said to date, the water level at the Bukit Merah Dam in Semanggol was 9.08m, exceeding the normal level of 8.69m.
‘’Our raw water supply is adequate, full and at a good level. There is no indication the water level at the dam will drop to the critical level,’’ he said.
Dr Ahmad said that as a precautionary measure the department had provided a water contingency plan to pump water from Sungai Kerian or Sungai Kurau if water deterioration occurred.
The Air Kuning Dam supplied raw water to the Air Kuning Water Treatment Plant for residents around Taiping, while the Sultan Azlan Shah Dam channeled water to residents in the Kinta and Kampar districts.
Meanwhile, the Bukit Merah Dam was the source of water for a 23,000 ha padi planting area in the Kerian district and supplied drinking water to over 250,000 residents and the need of the industry in Kamunting, Taiping.
The hot weather phenomenon afflicting the western part of the country and Sabah was expected to continue until the end of March and this is a normal incident in the country towards the tail end of the north east monsoon. — Bernama
