JOHOR BAHRU — As of 10am today, a total of 244,242 consumer accounts out of 455,499 affected have been restored following the raw water pollution incident in Sungai Johor, which caused an unscheduled water supply disruption.

Johor water operator Ranhill SAJ said Pontian district’s supply has been fully restored, while 79,587 consumer accounts (65 per cent) in Kulai, 162,833 (54 per cent) in Johor Bahru, and 588 (2 per cent) in Kota Tinggi have also been reconnected.

It said 211,257 accounts remain affected, with Johor Bahru recording the highest number at 139,654, followed by Kulai (43,786) and Kota Tinggi (27,817).

“In addition, water delivery efforts using 40 tankers are still ongoing to ensure continuous supply to consumers throughout this raw water contamination crisis, which began last Friday,” the spokesperson told Bernama when contacted.

On its Facebook page, Ranhill SAJ said that drinking water is also being distributed to highly populated areas affected by the disruption.

Consumers are advised to obtain the latest updates on the water supply disruption through Ranhill SAJ’s official communication channels at 1800887474, email: customer.care@ranhillsaj.com.my, or SMS by typing ATRanhillSAJAduan and sending it to 63001.

Yesterday, State Works, Transportation, Infrastructure and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the raw water turbidity level in the Sungai Johor basin had surged to an extraordinary 37,400 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), compared to the normal level of around 400 NTU.

He said the incident was caused by soil movement that led to the rupture of the sixth sand-washing pond owned by a local company at an inland sand mining site in Kota Tinggi, contaminating Sungai Johor’s river flow last Friday.

Following the incident, water releases from the Linggiu Dam were increased to dilute the contamination, while alternative water supply deliveries via tankers were arranged for affected areas.