Johor water cuts: Supply restored for some of 300,000 affected residents; pump repairs at halfway mark
'While waiting for the full restoration of the water supply, 39 locations have been supplied with water through tankers in stages while 12 tankers remain stationed at the hospital,' said Fazli, who confirmed that 155,070 consumer accounts were impacted.
'We deeply regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate the patience and cooperation of all users throughout this period,' Fazli added.
Earlier, he had said the disruption involved the supply of 318 million litres per day.
In a Facebook post, Ranhill SAJ said repair works on the faulty pumps were at the '50 per cent mark' as of Thursday morning.
Many residents have called for greater transparency on how long the disruption is expected to last.
'Give us an estimated timeline for full restoration. As experts in the field, surely it's not that hard to provide one,' Nik Asni Azwan commented on Ranhill SAJ's Facebook post on Thursday.
'You should at least say roughly what time or how many more days it will take, and which areas will have their water supply restored first. This is important so that people can plan their next steps,' said Jolin Tan on Facebook.
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CNA
12 hours ago
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In Pixels: Malaysia's charcoal workers who risk life and health to do the work shunned by most
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BAREFOOT, BARE-BODIED IN INTENSE HEAT For seven days a week, Mr Mustapa starts the work day before sunrise, at around 6am. He begins by stacking pieces of wood into a burning pit that is 3m deep and almost the size of a badminton court. The wood is then covered in sawdust, which acts as the fuel to help burn the wood, and the timber is burned for two to three months before charcoal is produced. Mr Mustapa and his co-workers manage about 10 burning pits at the factory and they produce around two tons of charcoal daily. The workers walk around the scorched grounds near the burning pits either barefoot or with just a flimsy pair of rubber slippers. "There was a time when my foot slipped into the burning pit and my slipper got stuck inside," Mr Mustapa recounted. "Luckily, my foot didn't burn." Squinting from the billowing thick smoke, Mr Nasaruddin Ahmad Rahmad tried to wipe the perspiration off his face as he raked out the finished charcoal from the fire pit, leaving it to cool. 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ENDURING HARSH ELEMENTS It is not just the heat and smoke from the fire that make the working conditions harsh. The weather, too, often compounds the situation. Several of the workers wear hats to shield themselves from the blazing sun. They would also splash water over their bodies to help them cool down. When it rains, as it frequently does in Malaysia, the work does not let up as they are still required to ensure that the flames keep burning. "If it rains, the smoke gets even thicker and (makes it) harder to breathe," Mr Mustapa said. The rain also turns the ground into muddy sludge, making every step more arduous. The charcoal is sorted into sacks and the workers aim to fill between 10 and 15 sacks every day, each sack weighing around 20kg. Each bag of charcoal sells for around RM25 (US$5.80). The workers are mostly done by early evening, although there are some days when they work into the night. 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Independent Singapore
17 hours ago
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'No, we don't chew gum': What people really get wrong about Singapore
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Straits Times
2 days ago
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox GAZA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM - In a makeshift tent on a Gazan beach, three-month-old Muntaha's grandmother grinds up chickpeas into the tiniest granules she can to form a paste to feed the infant, knowing it will cause her to cry in pain, in a desperate race to keep the baby from starving. "If the baby could speak, she would scream at us, asking what we are putting into her stomach," her aunt, Abir Hamouda said. Muntaha grimaced and squirmed as her grandmother fed her the paste with a syringe. Muntaha's family is one of many in Gaza facing dire choices to try to feed babies, especially those below the age of six months who cannot process solid food. Infant formula is scarce after a plummet in aid access to Gaza. Many women cannot breastfeed due to malnourishment, while other babies are separated from their mothers due to displacement, injury or, in Muntaha's case, death. 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Health officials, aid workers and Gazan families told Reuters many families are feeding infants herbs and tea boiled in water, or grinding up bread or sesame. Humanitarian agencies also reported cases of parents boiling leaves in water, eating animal feed and grinding sand into flour. Feeding children solids too early can disrupt their nutrition, cause stomach problems, and risk choking, paediatric health experts say. "It's a desperate move to compensate for the lack of food," said UNICEF spokesperson Salim Oweis. "When mothers can't breastfeed or provide proper infant formula they resort to grinding chickpeas, bread, rice, anything that they can get their hands on to feed their children... it is risking their health because these supplies are not made for infants to feed on." BABY BOTTLES WITHOUT MILK Gaza's spiralling humanitarian crisis prompted the main world hunger monitoring body on Tuesday to say a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding and immediate action is needed to avoid widespread death. Images of emaciated Palestinian children have shocked the world. Gazan health authorities have reported more and more people dying from hunger-related causes. The total so far stands at 154, among them 89 children, most of whom died in the last few weeks. With the international furore over Gaza's ordeal growing, Israel announced steps over the weekend to ease aid access. But the U.N. World Food Programme said on Tuesday it was still not getting the permissions it needed to deliver enough aid. Israel and the U.S. accuse militant group Hamas of stealing aid - which the militants deny - and the U.N. of failing to prevent it. The U.N. says it has not seen evidence of Hamas diverting much aid. Hamas accuses Israel of causing starvation and using aid as a weapon, which the Israeli government denies. Humanitarian agencies say there is almost no infant formula left in Gaza. The cans available in the market cost over $100 – impossible to afford for families like Muntaha's, whose father has been jobless since the war closed his falafel business and displaced the family from their home. In the paediatric ward of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, the infant formula supply is mostly depleted. One mother showed how she poured thick tahini sesame paste into a bottle and mixed it with water. "I am using this instead of milk, to compensate her for milk, but she won't drink it," said Azhar Imad, 31, the mother of four-month-old Joury. "I also make her fenugreek, anise, caraway, any kind of herbs (mixed with water)," she said, panicked as she described how instead of nourishing her child, these attempts were making her sick. Medical staff at the hospital spoke of helplessness, watching on as children's health deteriorated with no way to safely feed them. "Now, children are being fed either water or ground hard legumes, and this is harmful for children in Gaza," said doctor Khalil Daqran. "If the hunger continues ... within three or four days, if the child doesn't get access to milk immediately, then they will die," he said. REUTERS
