JOHOR BARU: After five days of water disruptions caused by pollution in Sungai Johor, 94% of water supply has been restored to over 200,000 account holders, says state executive councillor Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh.

The Johor works, transportation, infrastructure and communications committee chairman said as of 5pm on Tuesday (Nov 4), supply to 201,554 out of 214,154 affected accounts had resumed since the incident began last Friday (Oct 31).

"To assist those affected, 31 water tankers with a total capacity of 613 cubic metres have been deployed daily to affected areas, each making between five and six trips a day.

"Assistance was also sent from Melaka and Negri Sembilan. The sudden demand and panic water storage caused intermittent supply in some areas," he added.

Mohamad Fazli acknowledged the hardship faced by residents, adding that full recovery is expected within the next eight to 12 hours, depending on stabilisation of pressure and reservoir levels.

Initial investigations found the incident was triggered by a domestic sand mining operator after soil movement led to the collapse of the sixth sand washing pond in Kota Tinggi, contaminating Sungai Johor.

This resulted in turbidity levels spiking dramatically to 37,400 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), far above the normal 400 NTU.

Following this, the Johor Land and Mines Office issued an immediate stop-work order and the company’s mineral permit was temporarily suspended to allow investigations, added Mohamad Fazli.

The probe is being carried out under Section 7A(1)(c) of the Water Enactment 1921 (Amendment 2014) and the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

"The state government has ordered the company to bear all cleanup and recovery costs, with further action to follow if laws were breached.

"The state government, led by Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, views the matter seriously and has prioritised swift recovery and transparent investigation.

"While the company involved is local, any action will be fair and firm, in the interest of the environment and the people of Johor," he said, adding that Onn Hafiz is also being updated with regular status reports.

The disruption has impacted around one million consumers across Johor Baru, Kota Tinggi, Kulai and Pontian since taps ran dry last Friday (Oct 31).

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