ISKANDAR PUTERI, Nov 23 — The Johor government will upgrade its water regulatory body Badan Kawalselia Air Johor (Bakaj) to a state water board to reflect the state’s growing need to better manage its water resources.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the state government has agreed to upgrade the Johor Water Regulatory Body to the Johor Water Board.

"This initiative is very important to ensure that the management of water resources in Johor is managed more efficiently and effectively,” he said while tabling Johor’s 2024 Budget at the state legislative assembly here today.

Onn Hafiz explained that Bakaj’s upgrade to the Johor Water Board is an initiative under the state’s Johor Maju agenda.

He said it is supported by related strategies and initiatives that are a part Johor’s future planning.

In November 2020, the Johor MB then, Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, announced that the state government had agreed to upgrade Bakaj to a state water management board in an effort to empower the management of water resources in the state.

He said the upgrade was part of developing water resources management infrastructure to guarantee clean water for the people of Johor.

Johor is considered a water-abundant state and receives an average annual rainfall of 1,778mm per year. However, water usage in the state has been fast expanding and this has led to shortages during the dry weather or drought season.

Johor is Malaysia’s second most-populous state after Selangor, with a population of 4.01 million in 2020, and is poised to be an international metropolis as part of the Iskandar Malaysia economic zone.