Violence erupts in KL over water

Violence erupts in KL over water

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Two people were injured when a squabble over collecting water erupted into a fight between residents, some of them armed with knives and machetes, a newspaper reported yesterday.

With severe water rationing in effect for nearly 2 million people in Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs, residents line up with pails and plastic containers several times a week to draw supplies from huge tankers deployed by city authorities. Disputes have become common.

The fight started when people objected to three men breaking the line to collect water from a truck in the Petaling Jaya suburb of the Malaysian capital, the Star newspaper said.

The three offenders pulled out knives and traditional Malaysian machetes to confront the angry crowd. Two people, who tried to stop the fight, were injured.