Nearly 4 million people in Malaysia’s capital are without water on Wednesday, as scheduled cuts drew loud complaints for occurring the week before Christmas.
The water cuts, planned from December 19 to 24, are part of preventive maintenance that needs to be done every three years, the electric utility company Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has said.
The company’s substations supply electricity to water treatment plants and the tests are necessary to ensure that power cuts will not impact the substations in future, it said.
The tests were initially scheduled to be carried out two months ago but that was considered bad timing due to school examinations and holidays, according to reports.
A division chief from Malaysia’s largest political party showed his dissatisfaction with the cuts appearing at the state secretariat building in bath towels with a toothbrush behind his ear.
“I only want to take a shower,” said Jamal Md Yunos of the United Malays National Organisation.