Johor water cuts: Supply restored for some of 300,000 affected residents; pump repairs at halfway mark

JOHOR BAHRU: Water supply was gradually restored on Thursday morning (May 22) for one in four of 155,000 Johor households hit by cuts since late-Tuesday, state officials said. 

But with repairs of the faulty pumps at Sungai Johor water treatment plant at the halfway mark, the authorities have deployed water tankers and delivered mineral water to areas still experiencing cuts.

As of 10am on Thursday, 27 per cent of households in the affected areas have had water supply “gradually restored”, said Johor’s Works, Transportation and Infrastructure exco chairman Fazli Salleh said in a Facebook post. 

Supply has been partially restored in Tebrau (98 per cent), Kempas (66 per cent) and Ulu Tiram (40 per cent), he updated. 

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Supply has not been restored in the other affected areas: The city centre, Skudai, Iskandar Puteri and Bukit Indah.

In Taman Perling in Bukit Indah, Saim Husin, 73, told CNA that his family has had to travel 2km to get the water they need for bathing, cleaning and consumption of medication.

The supply cut has impacted his family “badly”, he said on Thursday afternoon.

Another resident Syukri Seperi, 29, said he and his neighbours are worried because they have not received notice of whether water tankers would be deployed in their vicinity.

The supply cut has halted his car wash business for two days, but he still needs to pay his workers their salary, he said.

"We have to be prepared that there might be no water over the next few days. We have not showered since the disruption," Syukri added.

A Singaporean resident of Iskandar Puteri, who did not want to be named, said she and her neighbours at the Horizon Hills estate have not received any help or assistance as of Thursday afternoon.

The 48-year-old business owner has been driving around trying to buy water, but it was sold out in all the shops she visited on Thursday.

When she did manage to get some water the day before, “shops were full with people stocking up “like (in) COVID times”.

“There are two adults and a young child in my house. None of us have had a shower since the night before,” she said, adding that they first noticed the water disruption on Wednesday morning.

“Luckily I have a dehumidifier so I have been collecting the water from it to flush the toilet,” she told CNA.

The cuts were caused by heavy rain on Tuesday that submerged and damaged the six raw water pumps at Sungai Johor plant. 

The pumps were supposed to be repaired “completely” on Wednesday “but it is still a problem”, said Johor’s Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi on Thursday during a state assembly sitting in Kota Iskandar, as reported by news outlet The Star.

Onn Hafiz called an emergency meeting with state water operator Ranhill SAJ on Thursday morning to address the unplanned disruption and ensure that the pumps at the water treatment plant are repaired as soon as possible.

He has also instructed other districts to provide support by sending water tankers and mineral water to the affected areas. 

“While waiting for the full restoration of the water supply, 39 locations have been supplied with water through tankers in stages while 12 tankers remain stationed at the hospital,” said Fazli, who confirmed that 155,070 consumer accounts were impacted.

“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate the patience and cooperation of all users throughout this period,” Fazli added.

Earlier, he had said the disruption involved the supply of 318 million litres per day.

In a Facebook post, Ranhill SAJ said repair works on the faulty pumps were at the “50 per cent mark” as of Thursday morning.

Many residents have called for greater transparency on how long the disruption is expected to last. 

“Give us an estimated timeline for full restoration. As experts in the field, surely it’s not that hard to provide one,” Nik Asni Azwan commented on Ranhill SAJ’s Facebook post on Thursday. 

“You should at least say roughly what time or how many more days it will take, and which areas will have their water supply restored first. This is important so that people can plan their next steps,” said Jolin Tan on Facebook. 

Additional reporting by Zamzahuri Abas