‘Off-river storage in Kota Tinggi needs approval’

THE proposal to build off-river storage (ORS) near Sungai Lebah Salleh, Kota Tinggi, needs approval from the Federal Government as Johor has a water supply agreement with Singapore.

State works, transport and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the ORS would involve the distribution of water from Sungai Johor to Sungai Lebah Salleh, which will then enable supply to Sedenak in Johor Baru.

He said there was a discussion on this with the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry which responded positively to the proposal.

“But there is no decision yet as Sungai Johor involves a two-nation contract, not just between the ministry and state government.

“We are still waiting for a decision on the ORS,” he said after visiting the Jalan Kampung Rahmat/Sri Gading Estate project in Kota Tinggi, reported BK.

Mohamad Fazli was asked to comment on National Water Services Commission (SPAN) chairman Charles Santiago’s press conference in Cyberjaya, Selangor, where he identified seven dams as high risk.

They are Linggiu in Johor; Pedu and Muda in Kedah; Durian Tunggal, Asahan and Jus in Melaka and Mengkuang in Penang.

Santiago said these dams had been classified as high risk based on three factors, namely physical performance, storage level record and number of water treatment plants (WTP) in the dam’s areas.

To reduce the risk, the Water Supply Dam Monitoring Report 2022 proposed that the respective state governments develop ORS to help improve water source capacity.

Besides serving as reservoirs, the ORS can also act as a flood mitigation measure by taking raw water from the nearby river and channelling it into the reservoir, where it undergoes pre-sedimentation treatment.

The water is then channelled to WTPs for further treatment before distribution to consumers.

Mohamad Fazli said the Linggiu Dam in Kota Tinggi was at a satisfactory level with water capacity at 100%, even though it was connected to four WTPs.

“If anything happens to the main dam, it will have a big impact on other places. So far, there are no problems,” he said.

Earlier, Mohamad Fazli visited an abandoned project involving a new access road between Kampung Rahmat and Sri Gading Estate, which is expected to be completed in December 2024.