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7 Things Malaysians Are Spending On This Water Rationing Period

Water rationing in Selangor and KL has been extended up to April 30, according to authorities. Over 6.7 million people are said to be affected by the water rationing and people get two days when the water from the taps are turned on and another two days or more when the taps are turned off. It goes without saying that water is necessary for everyday living. We drink it, prepare our food with it, bathe in it, and wash our clothes in it.

In fact, the average Malaysian consumes 210 litres of water per day. Water consumption in Penang is even higher at 294 litres per day, according to water utility Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang. Since everybody requires water for daily living, what are the things most of us are spending on to cope with the current water crisis?

1. Water Buckets, Lots of It

Since there will be no water for up to two days or more, it makes sense to stock up on water whenever the taps are on. Businesses have seen brisk business selling water containers and pails. One trader asked by the New Straits Times said he only used to sell about two or three water containers in a week, now he sells about 60 water containers a day. Some plastics ware shops have also seen their supplies of water containers disappear quickly because of the huge demand for containers.

2. Bottled Water

People are buying more bottled water for drinking as water continues to be rationed in Selangor. Costs can add up, the regular gallon of water most have at home gets used for washing dishes when the water they stocked up runs out so it also serves double duty at most households.

3. Food Delivery

It is tough to see dishes piling up when there is not enough water to go around even for daily chores. You worry about roaches having a party on the stuff you eat with. And that is not such a great thought. People are ordering food and eating out to avoid dirty dishes piling up at home. Most have food delivery on their speed dial since March.

4. Disposable Plates and Cups

Malaysians, too, are turning to disposable plates and cups in order to limit water use. This shows just how much the problem of water shortage can affect the environment since it adds trash for the landfills.

5. Laundry Services

People used to do their own laundry at home. Now, people are spending extra to send their clothes to the laundry shops. One launderette interviewed by New Straits Times said her business was not affected too much by the water rationing as she was lucky enough to rarely experience water disruptions in their area. However, she said she might have to temporarily raise prices if she drew losses due to the water rationing.

6. Additional Transport Cost

People are going to places where there is water. Some are temporarily relocating to a relative’s place to do their laundry and other water-intensive activities. For those with cars, they spend on petrol to transport water back to their place.

7. Water Delivery

Some households run out of stored water and have to spend money to have water delivered to their homes. The richer households in the affected areas have better ways to store water but some households do not have the facilities to store more water even if they wanted to. Residents of high rises who run out of water are also forced to pay extra to have water delivered to their units.

Businesses, too, are Affected by the Water Crisis

Selangor residents will have to endure a few more weeks of water rationing but water shortages like these are likely to be repeated in the future. Despite the water rationing, water consumption only fell by 7% so there is a need to save more water.

Additional expenses people shoulder to cope with the water shortage can have an effect on household budgets and the water crisis could also have an effect on the long-term viability of businesses.

Businesses, too, have been affected by the water shortage and have had to turn away customers because they do not have sufficient water to provide services. This cuts into their profits for businesses in affected areas. They have also had to allocate man hours to store water and this adds to their operating costs.

As more of these scenarios happen, these just highlight the fact that the government needs to explore viable long-term solutions for the water shortage in Selangor. This is to prevent the situation from worsening as more people move to Kuala Lumpur and the nearby districts.

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