Johor Bahru Residents Bathe In Rain And Mosques As River Pollution Cuts Water To Nearly 2 Million

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Dead fish are seen in Sungai Sayong in Ulu Sungai Johor, Kota Tinggi, on November 2, 2025. — Bernama picJOHOR BAHRU, Nov 2 — The water supply disruption following the pollution incident in Sungai Johor has forced some residents in several housing areas around this district to bathe at mosques and collect rainwater for daily use.
Residents in areas such as Taman Nora and Taman Pelangi have been facing water supply disruption since yesterday afternoon, with the problem still unresolved as of 6pm today.
For Taman Nora resident Sarifah Asari, 40, heavy rain around 4pm today was a blessing, allowing her to clean herself.
She said most residents did not have the chance to store clean water as information or notice of the disruption arrived rather late.
“I used rainwater to bathe and perform ablutions, while for drinking, I bought mineral water from a nearby shop,” said Sarifah, who lives alone, when met by Bernama today.
A housewife who has lived in the neighbourhood for the past 18 years said the water supply disruption started yesterday around 1pm.

Sungai Sayong in Ulu Sungai Johor, Kota Tinggi, remains murky due to pollution on November 2, 2025. — Bernama pic“So far, there has been no water supply delivered by Ranhill SAJ, but I was informed that the residents’ association chairman or the nearby surau will request water assistance if the disruption continues until tomorrow,” she said.
Similarly, another Taman Nora resident, Haziqah Hadman, 35, said she managed to collect two buckets of rainwater this evening for household use.
“This rainwater is just the same — I use it for bathing and washing dishes. Going to my relatives’ houses isn’t an option since they’re also affected, so we use whatever water source we have,” said the mother of two.
Meanwhile, Syobiraah Mat Saad, 43, who lives on Jalan Ungu in Taman Pelangi, said her family had to bathe at a mosque this morning after their water supply was cut off around 4pm yesterday.
She said, however, that Ranhill SAJ had provided clean water to residents around 12.30pm today.
“This morning, my family had to go to the mosque because we ran out of water. But after calling SAJ, they delivered water to our home,” said the mother of four.

Johor Bahru resident Ahmad Rizal Akiah (right) and his wife, Syobiraah Mat Saad, carry a water bin into their home in Taman Pelangi following an unscheduled supply disruption caused by Sungai Johor pollution, on November 2, 2025. — Bernama pic
Another resident, Mohamad Asrul Sobri, 43, who lives on Jalan Kuning in Taman Pelangi, urged Ranhill SAJ to be more proactive in delivering water supplies to ensure that no area is left out.
A total of 455,757 account holders, or nearly 1.8 million residents in Johor, have been affected in stages by the pollution incident that occurred last Friday.
Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir was quoted as saying that so far, 54 per cent of affected account holders have had their water supply restored.
Yesterday, Johor Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communication Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh was reported as saying that a sand-washing pond at a land sand mining site in the Kota Tinggi district had burst.
He said the incident was caused by soil movement that led to the rupture of the sixth sand-washing pond belonging to a local company, contaminating Sungai Johor. — Bernama

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