KOTA KINABALU: Water supply for the west coast areas such as Kota Kinabalu, Papar and Tuaran should be sufficient for at least the next one month, reported Water Department Kota Kinabalu engineer Teo Chee Kang.
“Unless the current dry spell prolongs beyond that amount of time, the west coast areas are safe from a water shortage crisis as faced by some states in the peninsula,” he added
Teo disclosed that the water levels at Babagon Dam had maintained at 95 per cent full and the Telibong Dam at 92 to 94 per cent full.
Should the dry spell prolong, measures would be taken to overcome the problem, he said.
“We are constantly monitoring the situation and the dam levels,” he said.
Teo advised the public to save and conserve water as well as to immediately report any pipe leaks to the Water Department at 088-711767.
“Be prudent when using water and conserve as much water as possible,” he advised.
Meanwhile, the prolonged dry weather affecting Singapore since mid-January 2014 has set a new record for the driest month since 1869, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).
At the Changi climate station, the rainfall total recorded in February 2014 was 0.2mm, breaking the previous record of 6.3 mm in February 2010.
Apart from being the driest month ever, February 2014 is the most windy month in the last 30 years.
At the Changi climate station, the average daily wind speed of 13.3 km/hr recorded in February 2014 exceeds the previous high of 12.5 km/hr in January 1985.
The prolonged dry conditions have also set a new record for the lowest average daily relative humidity of 74.5 per cent.
The previous record low for February and any month of the year was 76.9 per cent (February 1968) and 74.6 per cent (June 2013) respectively.
The last day of significant rainfall was on Feb 16, 2014, when between 0.2 and 29.0 mm was recorded in various parts of the island.
Since then, there has been little or no rainfall, with Singapore entering another period of dry spell on Feb 17, 2014.
The dry weather affecting Singapore and the surrounding region is expected to persist in the first half of March 2014.
With the expected onset of the Inter-Monsoon in the second half of March 2014, the winds in the region will turn light and variable in direction.
Increased rainfall can be expected in the later part of the month.
With the dry weather expected to continue, PUB, the National Water Agency has started a public campaign to get everyone to conserve water.
