PUB increases drinking water supplies for Johor in Malaysia to assist during dry weather

Singapore’s national water agency, Public Utilities Board (PUB), has started delivering surplus water for drinking to Malaysian state of Johor to support it during the ongoing dry spell.

Started from 14 August, the water supply is in response to a request from the state water regulatory body Badan Kawalselia Air Johor (BAKAJ) who had sought an additional five to six million gallons of potable water per day.

The state had imposed water rationing in parts of its capital Johor Bahru from 16 August, which is expected to last till 15 September. The additional supply has been sought to provide for the limited supplies during the period.

The Singaporean water agency is supplying the required amount from Johor River Waterworks (JRWW), a treatment facility that it operates in the state.

PUB said: "This arrangement is temporary and subject to regular review.

"This will not affect the water supply in Singapore. There has been some rain in Singapore and PUB has increased its production of NEWater and desalinated water to meet local demand, allowing water levels in local reservoirs to remain healthy."

The agency has been supplying around 16 million gallons per day (mgd) of potable water for the state over the years.

Following recent request, the supply has been temporarily increased to up to 22mgd in order to meet the state’s requirements in the dry weather situation.