Water Disturbances in Pontian, Simpang Renggam Not Due to Data Center Construction – Exco

Water Disturbances in Pontian, Simpang Renggam Not Due to Data Center Construction – Exco

JOHOR BAHRU, Feb 17 (Bernama) — Allegations linking water supply disruptions in Pontian and Simpang Renggam to the construction of a data center are baseless and defamatory, said State Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Committee Chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh.

He said that there is no data center that receives water supplies in the Simpang Renggam and Benut areas, besides that this area is not the location for the construction of these facilities.

“The water supply for the Simpang Renggam and Benut areas is channeled through the Simpang Renggam Water Treatment Plant (LRA) which processes raw water from the Ulu Benut River with the support of resources from the Machap Dam. The maximum capacity of the plant is 64 million liters per day (MLD),” he said in a post on Facebook.

He said that the current cessation of scheduled water supplies was due to the depletion of raw water sources due to the prolonged dry season.

Even though it had rained, he said, the water level in rivers and dams had not returned to optimal levels.

Mohamad Fazli said, in order for the Simpang Renggam LRA to operate at its full capacity of 64 MLD using four pumps, the water level at the mouth of the Benut River must exceed 4.90 meters.

“Currently the water level is recorded at 4.66 meters, still below the optimal operating limit. This situation limits the full use of pumps and affects the production of treated water, thus requiring the implementation of scheduled water supply to ensure a fairer and more balanced distribution to users,” he said.

He said as an immediate mitigation measure, the state government along with the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) had carried out cloud seeding operations in key water catchment areas including Upper Layang Dam, Pulai Dam and Machap Dam to increase rain chances and speed up recovery of raw water levels.

According to Mohamad Fazli, the Johor State Government is committed to ensuring the stability of the water supply for the community, in addition to ensuring that any industrial development in Johor is carried out in a controlled, careful and responsible manner.

“The public is advised to refer to official information from the authorities and not spread speculation that could cause confusion and anxiety among the public,” he said.