TEMPERATURES are at a high with no rain in sight, not even rain-bearing cumulus clouds that can be seeded to encourage it to release its load. Apparently, the south-westerly winds bring stable weather that is not rain-friendly. Blowing from May through to September, it normally brings a dry July and August, nothing out of the ordinary actually. So say the people who know, the meteorologists. And, it explains the annual haze shrouding our skies because of fires. The current dry spell, inevitably, causes water rationing in places hard hit by the drought. To date, Selangor and Johor are the worst affected states, with dams threatening to go below critical levels. In Selangor, Semenyih residents are already complaining of regular water disruptions. Johor, meanwhile, is faced with water shortages in the economically critical Pasir Gudang industrial area. The dam which supplies it has water enough for some 20 to 30 days if replenishing rains do not arrive.
If the dry weather is not exceptional — as it was last year, say — how is it that the supply available is not coping with an ordinary yearly weather occurrence? That the two most industrialised states are facing the water supply problem could be indicative of the cause. The outcome of industrialisation is population movement. The rural-urban migration, with employment being the magnet, naturally brings a rapid population build-up. Water demands of industries grow in tandem with domestic demand, which naturally strains supply if the growth in economic activity and population have not been well planned for. After all, only so much rain is expected to fall annually in any one location, with rare exceptions that, in Johor, has resulted in serious flooding, but not necessarily where the water is most needed. If this is then the problem and not one of the rains having deserted the country because of global warming, it is lack of foresight on the part of planners that is to blame.
Selangor’s water woes though is the result of imprudent politicians looking for kudos where none is to be found. The tussle between the state government and Putrajaya over the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant had at one time threatened to jeopardise more than the taps in homes. It also threatened the economic growth of Malaysia’s richest state. The water issue was politicised until a drought demonstrated the critical nature of the situation and that band-aid solutions were not going to work. But still, despite divine intervention, the new menteri besar was initially going to renege on the Master Agreement that would make the Langat 2 implementation possible. Even before the glitches are properly ironed out, the Pakatan state government looks about ready to topple, which makes a further delay of Langat 2 likely.
Water may indeed be everywhere, but when there’s naught to drink, the danger is obvious. Politicians should bear in mind that their job is to facilitate and not hinder the betterment of society. Solving the water shortage is urgent. Those held responsible — the planners in Johor and the politicians in Selangor — must, therefore, be taken to task.