1998 Klang Valley water crisis
Encyclopedia
The 1998 Klang Valley water crisis
occurred in Malaysia in February 1998 when the three reservoir dams in Klang Valley
, Klang Gates Dam
, Batu Dam
and Semenyih Dam
suffered a substantial drop in water level following the El Niño phenomenon. The subsequent water shortage affected almost all the residents in the Klang Valley causing the government to impose water rationing prior to the 1998 Commonwealth Games
in Kuala Lumpur
.
The shortage was blamed on El Nino despite actual rainfall in the months leading up to February 1998 in Federal Territory
not being significantly below average. In fact in November 1997, Klang Gates Dam
had its highest recorded rainfall. Similarly in October 1997 the Kajang station not far from the Semenyih dam had its highest rainfall in record.
Water crisis
Water crisis is a general term used to describe a situation where the available water within a region is less than the region's demand. The term has been used to describe the availability of potable water in a variety of regions by the United Nations and other world organizations...
occurred in Malaysia in February 1998 when the three reservoir dams in Klang Valley
Klang Valley
Klang Valley is an area in Malaysia comprising Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs, and adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. An alternative reference to this would be Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area or Greater Kuala Lumpur. It is geographically delineated by Titiwangsa Mountains to the...
, Klang Gates Dam
Klang Gates Dam
Klang Gates Dam, is located in Taman Melawati, a suburb of the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The dam is the first reservoir in Malaysia and it was opened in 1958....
, Batu Dam
Batu Dam
Batu Dam is one of the major dams of Klang Valley located in Selangor, Malaysia. The dam is a water supply dam. The dam holding capacity is 30,199 million litres. The Sungai Batu water treatment plant produces 114 million litres per day of treated water, 23.7 of which is used in industrial...
and Semenyih Dam
Semenyih Dam
Semenyih Dam is one of the Klang Valley major dams in Malaysia. Built in 1985, the dam, with the lovely lake surrounded by green forested hills, provides one of the most breathtaking sights in the country. It also supplies a major portion of drinking water to the Klang Valley population...
suffered a substantial drop in water level following the El Niño phenomenon. The subsequent water shortage affected almost all the residents in the Klang Valley causing the government to impose water rationing prior to the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
.
The shortage was blamed on El Nino despite actual rainfall in the months leading up to February 1998 in Federal Territory
not being significantly below average. In fact in November 1997, Klang Gates Dam
Klang Gates Dam
Klang Gates Dam, is located in Taman Melawati, a suburb of the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The dam is the first reservoir in Malaysia and it was opened in 1958....
had its highest recorded rainfall. Similarly in October 1997 the Kajang station not far from the Semenyih dam had its highest rainfall in record.