More joining gyms to shower

The water problem in Selangor is not going away any time soon.

But some residents there are getting savvy at meeting their bathing and washing needs.

While some take their families to petrol stations to shower and do laundry, others go to rest and service areas, which serve highway user, The Star reported.

Some are even signing up with clubs and gyms just to use the shower facilities there.

A petrol station operator in Subang Jaya told The Star that many people were going there to bathe and collect water.

"These people are desperate for water so I'm just trying to help," he was quoted as saying.

The station has not been hit by water cuts and it has three or four water storage tanks on the roof.

But some petrol stations and other places have put up signs telling people that they cannot bathe or collect water on their premises.

A sales representative of a well-known gym said some people have been going there for its running water and that some signed up just to gain access to their showers.

The gym has several water tanks that allow it to stay operational during water cuts.

Meanwhile, college students hit hard by the water rationing at their homes are going to their campuses to shower.

Mr Jeang Sheng, 21, said his area had not received water for two weeks since rationing began.

So he showers at UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, where he studies.

He said: "Sometimes I go in earlier to shower before class; other times I stay back to shower after class."

He claimed that the water problem has worsened because the water tankers do not deliver at the stipulated time.

RANDOM

Said Mr Jeang: "They seem to come at random times. They have delivered water at around midnight and even at 4am once.

"I try to preserve the water I've stored at home by showering at my campus."

Mr Md Khairi Selamat, Selangor Water Management Authority director, had announced that the state will declare a water emergency if the major dams hit critical levels.

The Sungai Selangor and Klang Gates dams each have just over two months of water supply before they reach the danger zone.

This article was published on April 12 in The New Paper.

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