ISKANDAR PUTERI, Sept 12 — The state government will carry out five cloud seeding operations in the near future in an effort to overcome critical water level decline in dams and water treatment plants in the state.

State International Trade, Investment and Utilities Committee chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse said the state government would use an emergency budget of RM175,000 for the operation.

He said besides the Department of Meteorology’s attention and consultation, the right time and conducive weather should be taken into consideration before it can be implemented.

He said the low percentage of about 10 to 20 per cent success rate of the cloud seeding operation was also a concern of the state government.

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“Cost is not a big issue for us, but time is.”

“As in the critical Lebam Dam, that it lies in the coastal area poses problems as there are no clouds there. As long as there are problems in Lebam, it will be a problem for us,” he said at the second sitting of the 14th Johor state assembly here today.

Puah, who is Bukit Batu Assemblyman (PH-PKR), said this in response to a question from Yeo Tung Siong (PH-DAP) Pekan Nenas Assemblyman whether the state government was planning cloud seeding in the state to solve the water shortage problem.

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Meanwhile, Puah said an allocation of RM1 million would be applied next year for the preparation of cloud seeding operations.

The state government hopes that the proposed water resource project submitted to the Federal government such as the Ulu Sedili Besar Dam, the Sedili Besar River Barrage and the raw water transfer project from Machap Dam to the Simpang Renggam Water Treatment Plant can be implemented next year. — Bernama