TENS of thousands of residents in Johor remain without water on Tuesday despite two of the four affected water treatment plants along the Johor River resuming operations following a pollution incident caused by sandmining since October 31.
The disruption has impacted more than a million consumers across Johor Bahru, Kota Tinggi, Kulai, and Pontian districts, forcing many households to stockpile bottled water amid fears of prolonged shortages. Efforts are ongoing to restore operations at all four plants.
Rosli Hassan, 48, from Tebrau, criticised the recovery updates shared on the water concessionaire’s social media, saying they were meaningless while residents remained without water after more than 48 hours.
“Some areas are facing a longer period of water cuts. I hope the state government takes this matter seriously and goes after the polluters of our water resources,” he told The Star, while acknowledging the concessionaire’s deployment of water tankers to affected areas.
Another resident, Wan from Taman Impian Emas in Skudai, said the shortage since Saturday had caused significant hardship for her family, particularly for elderly members.
“It has brought a lot of hardship to my family, especially when we have elderly people living in the house,” she said.
The pollution has also severely affected local fisheries.
During a site visit, 25 fishermen from Kampung Orang Asli Sayong Pinang in Kota Tinggi reported around one tonne of dead fish due to the contamination.
Fisherman Azman Izam, 48, said, “It will take us six months or more for us to recover from this, as we were forced to endure a similar incident due to ammonia discharge from a factory seven years ago. We also hope this river can fully recover soon, especially since it is now the fish breeding season.”
Jasni Ahmad, chairman of the Village Development and Security Committee’s Fisheries Network, added that the pollution had caused a decline in the fish population.
“The villagers are asking for compensation from the company involved. We also hope the company will carry out corporate social responsibility initiatives such as restocking the river with fish fry,” he said.
Tok Batin Majid Jantan said the 25 fishermen have been left without income for four days, with their average daily earnings ranging between RM60 and RM100 (S$19–S$31).
“I hope the authorities ensure this never happens again. We are also requesting compensation as the effects of this pollution are long-term,” he added. - November 4, 2025
