Thanks Elizabeth for the article I guess dry spell is effecting everyone around the world
Elizabeth Looi is thankful for an everyday commodity called water.
IN KUALA LUMPURMALAYSIA'S current dry spell is driving everyone up the wall.
The sun is scorching hot during the day in Kuala Lumpur and by evening, there is heavy rain with thunderstorms. But this doesn't make it any cooler. In fact, it only makes the weather more humid.
On Tuesday, I was caught in an unusual traffic jam that stood still for almost half an hour. Traffic jams are common in the city, but those where cars are stuck unmoving for half an hour are unusual indeed.
The hot weather was not making the situation any better.
I noticed I wasn't the only one getting impatient in my car, as the heat was burning through my non-tinted windows.
Other drivers were trying to get to the front to see what was causing the jam. A few of them tried to cut queue and switch lanes. Some already had their windows down, pointing their fingers and shouting at those who tried to jump queue.
When the traffic finally started to crawl, we noticed there was actually a stalled car about 200 metres ahead that was causing the bad jam. Another victim of the hot weather, surely.
I cannot imagine what would have happened if the traffic had not started moving. Motorists would either have started to melt in their cars or they would have started beating each other up.
I'm thankful that despite the hot spell, Klang Valley (which consists of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and nearby towns) has enough water supplies for its millions of residents.
But fellow Malaysians in the southern states are not so lucky.
Those in Seremban, the main town of Negeri Sembilan, have been forced to resort to water rationing. Water tanks have to visit their estates every few days or else there isn't be enough water for cooking or bathing.
Meanwhile, the Johor state government has allocated RM500,000 for cloud seeding, as water in the main dams in some areas is very low.
On the east coast, the Kelantan state government will hold special prayers to ask for rain. And then there are the exhortations, as usual, for residents to save precious water.
People often take for granted the things that they see everyday, until they have lost them, so the saying goes.
My only hope is that we will remember these exhortations even when the rains return. And not forget them like water flowing off a duck's back.
When the traffic finally started to crawl, we noticed there was actually a stalled car about 200 metres ahead that was causing the bad jam. Another victim of the hot weather, surely.
I cannot imagine what would have happened if the traffic had not started moving. Motorists would either have started to melt in their cars or they would have started beating each other up.
I'm thankful that despite the hot spell, Klang Valley (which consists of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and nearby towns) has enough water supplies for its millions of residents.
But fellow Malaysians in the southern states are not so lucky.
Those in Seremban, the main town of Negeri Sembilan, have been forced to resort to water rationing. Water tanks have to visit their estates every few days or else there isn't be enough water for cooking or bathing.
Meanwhile, the Johor state government has allocated RM500,000 for cloud seeding, as water in the main dams in some areas is very low.
On the east coast, the Kelantan state government will hold special prayers to ask for rain. And then there are the exhortations, as usual, for residents to save precious water.
People often take for granted the things that they see everyday, until they have lost them, so the saying goes.
My only hope is that we will remember these exhortations even when the rains return. And not forget them like water flowing off a duck's back.
