Kuala Lumpur faces a major water shortage in the next few days after a burst pipe disrupted supplies to a treatment plant, a report said today.

The Star daily said that the entire city centre would be affected by the damaged 1.2m pipe which supplies raw water from a dam to a downtown water treatment plant.

Water authorities said the plant would not be able to meet the daily consumption of 136 million litres by 350,000 consumers in the city and that about a third of them were expected to experience shortages.

"We can expect some parts of the city centre to be affected until we are able to repair the damage," the official said, according to the Star.

Water was being diverted to the treatment plant from other sources, and to meet the expected shortfall, tanker lorries were on standby to transport water to affected areas, it said.

The Star said the pipe burst with a bang near a housing development in suburban Kuala Lumpur, causing panic among residents who then rushed to move cars and motorcycles as the water flooded their compound (photo).