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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.

Background
The Klang Valley Water Crisis occurred in Malaysia between March to September 1998, impacting 1.8 million people within the state of Sengalor and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

Although the Klang Valley was the most significantly impacted, all of Malaysia suffered a water shortage crisis because of the 1998 global El Nino. The El Nino resulted in a drought which significantly depleted the water catchments of the 2 dams providing the Valley with its water: Semenyih and Langat. Thus, the water treatment plants obtaining water from these dams cut production capacity in half.

Water Loss, Wastage and Water theft by Large Private Companies
Non-Revenue Water (NRW) and/or water lost to breakage of pipes and infrastructures is one main issue. The national NRW rate is about at 40% in 1995, yet 20% is due to burst pipes and leakages, 12% is from water theft, 10% is from faulty meters, pipe cleaning and water used for fire fighting.

Failure to Act by State Governance and Water Management Authority
the Selangor State authorities had been warned repeatedly on over-logging issues, but nothing was done after. In another state, Penang, local authorities approved the Penang Hill Structure Plan in 1997 which affected a significant portion of the local water catchments.

Deforestation, Illegal farming and Squatting
Illegal farming and squatting in the hills, and deforestation activities play a vital function in retaining the rain water. Without the forest, water catchments can be destroyed.

El Nino and Impact of Climate Change
Climate change has a significant impact on the global water cycle, with greater disparity between wet and dry regions and also wet and dry seasons. Water situation will also be exacerbated by El Nino conditions.

Crisis Management
The immediate crisis management response involved multiple efforts such as water rationing, the use of water tankers and static water tanks, and groundwater extraction.

Long term management of the Klang Valley Water Crisis was conducted by the Selangor State Water Department and involved three main committees: The Selangor State Water Action Committee, District Water Action Committees, and the Reservoir Management Committee. The Selangor State Water Action Committee was responsible for overall supervision of all crisis management activities, and keeping the public informed. Public campaigns were also conducted and a Public Relations Agency was created to facilitate the relationship between the State and media, thereby keeping the public consistently informed on crisis matters.

Citizen Satisfaction Level
The residents were not fully satisfied with how the crisis was managed by the state water authority. They were especially not satisfied with the quantity and quality of water provided at the time, as well as the distance to fetch the water from the static tanks as it had greatly impacted their work and daily activities.

Community Activists and Scholars
Activists associated with the Centre for Technology Development Malaysia (CETDEM) and the Malaysian Climate Change Group (MCCG) which comprises the Environmental Protection Society Malaysia (EPSM), Malaysian Nature Society and the Perak Consumers’ Association have advocated for developing water in a sustainable manner, meaning to maintain adequate water resources and preserving the environment.

Possible Future Solutions
Academics have proposed to combine different models to utilize every available source of water – river, groundwater, and reuse of wastewater effluent. Reservoirs could be managed to improve the quality of water.