Klang Valley water cuts: What you need to know

KiniGuide Published: Apr 23, 2019 2:37 AM | Updated: Sep 1, 2020 9:45 AM

KINIGUIDE | The water supply disruptions are set to begin on Wednesday and will affect 4.1m consumers.

KINIGUIDE | About 4.1 million consumers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur are expected to experience dry taps for up to 86 hours beginning Wednesday, in what will be one of the biggest water supply disruptions in Klang Valley's history.

In a statement, the National Water Services Commission (Span) said that the water cuts will affect 577 areas in Klang, Shah Alam, Petaling, Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Langat and Kuala Selangor.

In this KiniGuide, Malaysiakini lays out what you need to know about the water cuts.

What's the cause of the water supply disruptions?

Span said the disruption is due to repair works being conducted on the electrical cable and water piping systems at the Selangor River Phase 2 Water Treatment Plant, which requires a temporary shut down.

In a media conference last week, Span chairperson Charles Santiago explained that the plant's 32kW electrical cable and water piping systems had deteriorated and required immediate attention to avoid an explosion from occurring.

Santiago (photo) said that plans were made last December to carry out the repair works in July this year, but the situation had worsened since then. As such, Span had approved the repair work to take place on Wednesday.

Span has also taken into consideration the possibility that should an explosion occur, it would affect the upcoming fasting month and Hari Raya.

Who will be affected by the water cuts?

According to Span, 620,835 accounts or 4,145,465 consumers in the stated areas are affected. This includes commercial and industrial premises such as factories and hotels.

Santiago said this comprised up to 25 percent of Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) users.

You can also use the free tool developed by Malaysiakini below to check whether you will be affected by the water cuts:

How long will the water disruptions last?

As per Syabas’ schedule, the water disruptions for all affected areas will begin at 9am on Wednesday, April 24.

However, the duration of the water cuts will vary, depending on the area.

Some will last until 11am on Friday (April 26); 11pm on Friday; or 11pm on Saturday (April 27).

This applies to areas within Kuala Lumpur, Klang, Shah Alam and Petaling District.

Areas within the Gombak and Kuala Langat districts will experience water disruptions until either 11am or 11pm on Friday.

Meanwhile, those staying in the 10 affected areas within Kuala Selangor, including Universiti Teknologi Mara Puncak Alam, will experience water cuts until 11pm on Friday.

However, Air Selangor Sdn Bhd CEO Suhaimi Kamaralzaman said they expected water supplies to resume to 50 percent of the affected areas within 24 hours after repair works are done.

Syabas has stated on its website that the recovery period for water supplies after the plant resumes operation will vary from one area to another, depending on the geographical location and altitude of customers' premises.

You can check the full list of affected areas here.

What should you do to prepare for the water cuts?

Span has stated that it will prioritise maintaining the water supply to critical premises such as hospitals and dialysis centres.

Consumers are advised to store enough water to last them 48 hours.

Syabas will help supply water during the affected period by deploying water tankers to water refilling stations and housing areas, as well as distributing bottled drinks.

Syabas will also activate local service centres at 8am on Friday. The full addresses of the centres are provided here.

Consumers can also ask Syabas to provide water supplies in case of emergencies such as funerals, and to facilitate events such as wedding celebrations. They can contact Air Selangor’s hotline at 15300, or via WhatsApp at 019-2816793/019-2800919.

The industrial and commercial sectors can purchase water at Air Selangor offices and the following refilling stations:

Klang