KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Frequent disruption of water supply to the areas in Klang Valley especially Selangor has affected numerous industries including the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Most entrepreneurs and traders lost thousands of ringgit in revenue per day when their operations experienced unscheduled water cuts for many days including the incident which occurred last month and the latest last Sunday due to pollution at raw water sources.

As at 6pm yesterday, disrupted water supply following the shutting down of the Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi water treatment plants has been restored to 238 areas while the remaining 36 more areas were still in the recovery process.

SME Association of Malaysia president Datuk Michael Kang Hua Keong said most of the industries that suffered losses were those involved in food production.

"All food manufacturers need water to ensure food safety and hygiene... without water how are we going to keep the food safety standards?” he told Bernama.

Kang hoped that the state and the federal governments would monitor this problem by ensuring that all sources of raw water are safe and that there would be no water supply disruptions in the future.

Meanwhile, Mohd Lutfi Abd Rashid, 33, who manages NR Tart Enterprise in Shah Alam, said the company will lose between RM3,000 and RM4,000 per day if the tart cookie manufacturing factory experienced water supply cut.

"Last month, for example, the impact we faced was very severe and had to stop production because when it comes to food items, we have to use water. It is not hygienic if we don’t wash the equipment,” he said.

Mohd Lutfi said in the event of water supply disruption, the relevant parties should carry out water rationing in stages by prioritising industrial area and shop lots as well as stationing water tankers at the localities.

For a 33-year-old chicken supplier in Meru, Klang, Muhammad Afiq Nor Hassim, he had to halt his business for four days last month due to unscheduled water supply disruption, causing a loss of about RM5,000 as he could not supply fresh chicken to the canteen and eateries.

"I was informed about the water supply disruption at the last minute, and I did not have enough time to store water. I need to wash the slaughtered chickens before selling it as cleanliness is a very important aspect,” he said.

Muhammad Afiq said he had experienced at least two or three water supply disruptions over the past two years and suffered a big loss due to water cut last month.

He also called on stricter legal actions against individuals or companies that are responsible for causing the water pollution.

The water crisis has also affected a 44-year-old Felix Chang, the owner of a barbershop in Taman OUG here.

"I suffered an estimated loss of RM1,000 per day due to the three-day water cut last month.

"I suggest that the government should compensate by at least giving a discount on water bills and at the same time provide water to business lots when water supply disruptions recur,” he said. — Bernama