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VENESA DEVI The Star 7 Sep 19; What went wrong?: Some of the dead fish found along Pantai Lido. JOHOR BARU: Land reclamation along Pantai Lido could potentially be the main cause of mass fish deaths in the area. State Local Government, Urban Wellbeing and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon said the Department of Environment (DoE), along with the Fisheries Department, were still investigating the matter and not ruling out land reclamation as the contributing factor. �The DoE visited the location on Thursday upon receiving complaints about the occurrence and found that the dissolved oxygen level of the water was very low at 1.2mg/l,� he said. �The hot weather and disturbance of the water flow here due to land reclamation are believed to be contributing factors, but we are still investigating the matter.� In a statement, Tan said he had instructed the DoE to look into the Environment Impact Assessment for the reclamation project to avoid a recurrence of such incidents. Dozens ...

MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 3 Sep 19; JOHOR BARU: The lack of rainfall and the ongoing hot weather in the last two weeks have caused the water level at the Machap Dam to fall to critical level, disrupting supply to almost 150,000 consumers in three areas in Johor. In a statement on Tuesday (Sept 3), the National Water Services Commission (Span) said the condition at the dam had forced water supply company, SAJ Ranhill, to activate scheduled cuts for about a month. "Following this, it is estimated that a total of 149,550 consumers from 29,910 accounts around Simpang Renggam, Layang-Layang and Pontian Utara would be affected from Monday until Oct 2. "To ensure that clean water supply is optimised under limited resource conditions, Ranhill SAJ will arrange to supply water for 36 hours, followed by the next 36 hours without water," said the statement. Span also pointed out that besides Machap, three other dams in Johor were also at critical levels - the Lebam dam, Upper Laya...

VENESA DEVI The Star 30 Aug 19; MUAR: The situation in Pasir Gudang is under control and there is no immediate need to shut down schools in the district, says Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal. Dr Sahruddin said there has not been any new case reported since Thursday (Aug 29), and students who fell sick on Wednesday (Aug 28) have since recovered. "Whether or not schools need to be shut down depends on the decision by the state education department. "If there is a need to shut down, we will shut down, but at the moment, we do not have to take such action, as the situation is under control," he said. He added that the state education department would also take precautionary measures to handle the situation if it happens again. On Wednesday, some 33 students from SK Taman Pasir Putih experienced breathing difficulties after inhaling a foul stench at the school. This is the third time students from the school have gone through the same ordeal, as the school was al...

VENESA DEVI The Star 24 Aug 19; JOHOR BARU: Several water treatment plants have been affected by the dry spell in Johor, says State International Trade, Investment, and Utilities Committee chairman Jimmy Puah. He said that the Sungai Gembut water treatment plant in Kota Tinggi could no longer operate normally due to the significant drop in the water supply. "The water level at the treatment plant has dropped beyond its critical level of 0.0 meter to -0.87 meter. The plant is failing to operate normally," he said in a statement released on Saturday (Aug 24). He added that several areas in the district are expected to experience water disruptions due to the dry spell and hot weather in the state "SAJ Ranhill has suggested that a scheduled water supply program to be conducted, starting from Sept 2. Water supplies will be on for a 24-hour period after a 48-hour cut, starting from the suggested date," he said, adding that some 5,246 account holders would be affected. Pu...

Bernama 19 Aug 19; PUTRAJAYA, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources expects Johor to no longer be dependent on the supply of treated water from Singapore by 2022, said its Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar. He said the effort to reduce the dependency of treated water supply from Singapore was by ensuring treated water in Johor was sufficient. �We have to make sure that Johor has sufficient treated water and does not need to get it from Singapore. Which is why we have to provide new water treatment plants in Johor. �The capacity must reach 260 million litres a day. We already have an understanding that by the year 2022, we will have this capacity,� he told reporters after receiving a courtesy visit from Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal here today. It was Dr Sahruddin�s first visit to the ministry after being appointed Menteri Besar on April 14. Asked if the effort will have an effect on the Water Agreement talks between Malaysia and Singapore, Dr ...

MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 20 Aug 19; JOHOR BARU: The Regent of Johor Tengku Mahkota Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim, wants the state government to better manage its precious water resources. This comes after Tunku Ismail, who was appointed as the Regent on Aug 11, attended a briefing on Johor�s water management at Bangunan Dato� Jaafar Muhammad in Kota Iskandar on Sunday. In a statement posted on Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar�s official Facebook page, Tunku Ismail said he takes a serious view of issues on pollution and mismanagement of water in the state. He has urged the state government to start taking the necessary action to rehabilitate Johor�s waters and stamp out pollution. Tunku Ismail also decreed that the state government should better manage its water resources and educate the public on proper water usage and awareness. It was reported by Bernama that the state Department of Environment (DOE) would conduct a quality assessment of water samples taken from Sungai Da...

The Star 17 Aug 19; JOHOR BARU: Residents in Kampung Acheh, Pasir Gudang here are worried as the water in Sungai Kopok, which is an important source of livelihood for them, has turned black and is smelly. The residents also claimed that the condition of Sungai Kopok, which is connected to Sungai Kim Kim and Sungai Daing and once home to shrimps and crabs, worsened following the chemical waste pollution of Sungai Kim Kim in March. Village head Othman Adon said the 15km-long river was believed to be contaminated by waste discharged from nearby factories. He said although authorities such as the Department of Environment (DOE), Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MPPG) have been informed of the matter, nothing had been done so far. �The river water turns black and smelly, especially after it rains. �We want the authorities to resolve this problem. �Fishermen especially are adversely affected as their source of income is affected. We used to enjoy ...