JOHOR BAHRU, April 15 — Johor water operator Ranhill SAJ will use a desalination plant set at Lok Heng Water Treatment Plant (WTP) to address water supply disruptions following the drought affecting areas in Felda Lok Heng and Felda Waha in Kota Tinggi.

State Public Works, Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said Ranhill SAJ is currently actively moving the desalination plant set, which is located in Forest City near Iskandar Puteri, to the WTP.

He said the plant set is capable of producing two million litres of treated water per day and so far the installation work is 34 per cent completed.

“God willing, it is expected to be operational on April 20, and it will at least be able to help consumers in the Lok Heng and Waha areas to receive water supply from their taps,” he said in a Facebook post.

According to him, various efforts to address the issue had previously been taken, but they were unsuccessful, including using groundwater through tube wells and transferring water from Sungai Lukah.

However, Sungai Lukah water has high salinity and cannot be transferred to Sungai Ulu Sedili Kecil as the Lok Heng WTP does not have facilities to treat salt water, which led to efforts to transfer the plant.

“...with the installation of this desalination plant set, it is hoped that the transfer of water from Sungai Lukah to Sungai Ulu Sedili Kecil can be treated despite the high level of salinity,” he said.

PUTRAJAYA, April 15 — Malaysia’s flood-related losses in 2025 dropped to RM636.9 million compared to RM933.4 million in 2024, equivalent to 0.03 per cent of the nominal Gross Domestic Product, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today.

In a statement following the Special Report on Impact of Floods in Malaysia 2025 released today, Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said public assets and infrastructure accounted for the highest losses, rising to RM380.2 million (2024: RM303.4 million). 

This was followed by living quarters, which declined to RM183.8 million (2024: RM372.2 million). 

“The agriculture sector’s losses also declined to RM52.6 million (2024: RM185.2 million), while business premises recorded RM13.4 million (2024: RM54.1 million) in losses,” he said.

Mohd Uzir said vehicle damages amounted to RM6.8 million (2024: RM17.3 million) and the manufacturing sector recorded the lowest impact at RM0.1 million (2024: RM1.2 million).

“For living quarters, the highest losses were in Sarawak at RM32.6 million, followed by Sabah (RM27.7 million) and Johor (RM26.2 million),” he said, while adding that losses to business premises were relatively higher in Sarawak at RM2.7 million, also followed by Johor (RM2.1 million) and Sabah (RM1.8 million). 

Meanwhile, based on the case studies carried out by DOSM, Mohd Uzir noted that more than 51.2 per cent of flood victims adopted proactive measures by maintaining reserves of daily necessities to ensure their survival during emergency situations. 

Mohd Uzir revealed the study also found that damages to furniture accounted for 42.8 per cent of the total losses incurred. Other household items represented 29.4 per cent of the recorded damage, while electrical appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators, and televisions contributed 27.8 per cent. 

“Overall, the findings highlighted the importance of strengthening preparedness, enhancing financial protection, and building household resilience to mitigate the impact of future flood events,” he added. — Bernama 

MIRI, April 15 — Miri recorded the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in Sarawak on Wednesday morning as bush and peat fires continued to rage during the ongoing dry spell in northern Sarawak.

According to Department of Environment Malaysia’s Air Pollution Index Management System (APIMS), the ILP Miri station registered an API of 91 at 10am this morning, indicating a moderate air quality.

Elsewhere, three stations — Serian (70),  Bintulu  (59) and Samalaju (58) — also recorded moderate air quality, while the rest of Sarawak showed good air quality with API readings below 50.

In contrast, neighbouring Kuala Belait in Brunei recorded an API of 23 at 9am, reflecting good air quality.

Moderate air quality is defined as API readings between 51 and 100, which may pose a moderate health concern for a small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Active children and adults, and people with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, are advised to limit prolonged outdoor activities.

Localised burning in Miri has stretched firefighters to the limit, particulatly in the Lutong-Kuala Baram sector north of the city, with sporadic fire also reported elsewhere.

Lutong fire station chief Henry Jugah said teams from Lutong fire station, Naim, Baramville and KSC were coordinating direct attack operations on Wednesday to extinguish the fires.

He added that aerial water bombing operations using the department’s Mi-8 helicopter are slated to begin soon to complement ground efforts by firefighters and voluntary units from the private sector. — The Borneo Post

MIRI, April 15 — Miri recorded the highest Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in Sarawak on Wednesday morning as bush and peat fires continued to rage during the ongoing dry spell in northern Sarawak.

According to Department of Environment Malaysia’s Air Pollution Index Management System (APIMS), the ILP Miri station registered an API of 91 at 10am this morning, indicating a moderate air quality.

Elsewhere, three stations — Serian (70),  Bintulu  (59) and Samalaju (58) — also recorded moderate air quality, while the rest of Sarawak showed good air quality with API readings below 50.

In contrast, neighbouring Kuala Belait in Brunei recorded an API of 23 at 9am, reflecting good air quality.

Moderate air quality is defined as API readings between 51 and 100, which may pose a moderate health concern for a small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Active children and adults, and people with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, are advised to limit prolonged outdoor activities.

Localised burning in Miri has stretched firefighters to the limit, particulatly in the Lutong-Kuala Baram sector north of the city, with sporadic fire also reported elsewhere.

Lutong fire station chief Henry Jugah said teams from Lutong fire station, Naim, Baramville and KSC were coordinating direct attack operations on Wednesday to extinguish the fires.

He added that aerial water bombing operations using the department’s Mi-8 helicopter are slated to begin soon to complement ground efforts by firefighters and voluntary units from the private sector. — The Borneo Post