Parched Sabah gets no relief

Parched Sabah gets no relief

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (Reuters): Heavy rains and cloud seeding over parts of Borneo island have failed to halt a drop in dam levels in Malaysia's drought-stricken Sabah state, newspapers reported yesterday.

"Only 14 of the 48 (seeding) operations carried out have been successful," the Daily Express newspaper quoted the state's environment minister, Bernard Dompok, as saying.

State authorities warned residents to conserve water as dam levels continued to drop despite heavy rain in state capital Kota Kinabalu this week.

Officials said the department had started some water rationing in the state capital and surrounding districts.