KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — The Regent of Johor, Tunku Mahkota Ismail, has called for the state to regain control of its water supply, saying recurring disruptions highlight the need for local ownership of a key state asset.
Responding to mounting public frustration over prolonged water cuts in Pontian and other areas, Tunku Ismail said the state must take charge of its water resources rather than leave them under the management of a company appointed by the federal government.
“I will monitor and try to resolve this quickly. It is important that we safeguard Johor’s water, a state asset, and not leave it under a company appointed by the federal government,” he said in a post on his official X account last night.
“Pray that the state’s financial standing improves, so we can purchase shares in Johor’s water supply and place it under state control, Insya-Allah.”
The comment came in response to a post by the BrotherhoodJHR account, which voiced frustration over water disruptions in Pontian that had entered a fourth consecutive day.
The Regent’s post drew hundreds of responses from users reporting similar issues across Johor, including low pressure and discoloured water in major residential areas.
One user noted that while Pontian rarely experienced supply issues in the past, outages had become more frequent, especially during daytime hours.
“Thank you for your response, Tuanku. Pontian rarely has water supply issues, but since Monday, there’s been no supply during the day,” the user wrote, calling for accountability. The comment received more than 3,000 likes.
As at 12.36pm today, the Regent’s post had drawn more than 36,000 views, 123 reposts, and 539 likes.
Water supply disruptions have become a growing concern for Johor residents.
In May, a major outage affected over 155,000 user accounts — impacting roughly 300,000 people in Johor Bahru — after heavy rain flooded the Sungai Johor water treatment plant and damaged six raw water pumps.
The plant was forced to suspend operations, halting the processing of 318 million litres of water per day.
The incident sparked public anger and renewed calls for long-term solutions to water management in the state.
