Kedah tube wells to be opened as drought bites

Water levels at major dams are at 30% of normal levels, according to Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir. (Bernama pic)

LANGKAWI: Water rationing will be implemented in Kedah if the water supply problems persist following the drought in the state, said Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

But before rationing was carried out, available tube wells in the state would be opened to ensure water supply is adequate, especially for domestic consumers.

“The dry weather comes a bit early this year. It is supposed to come in February but it came much earlier in January and will go on until March. So, we are looking at the situation now.

“We already have a lot of tube wells in Kedah. We will be opening all these tube wells and also drill new tube wells as well in order to make sure we have enough water supply,” he said here today.

Earlier today, Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir said the water levels at major dams had dropped to 30% of normal levels.

“The water levels at all the dams differ, some are low and some are high, but we will monitor daily. We also have to release the dam water into the river for domestic use,” he said.

Xavier also spoke about the problem of losses in water supply to Langkawi because of damage to seabed pipelines.

He said the ministry would repair these pipes and plant them 3m below the sea bed.

“The damage is believed to have been caused by illegal trawling by fishermen in the area. Most likely, we will also ban some boats in the area to prevent this from happening again,” he said. - FMT