The Malaysian government says the drought around the capital, Kuala Lumpur, is getting so bad that it may only be able to provide water once every three days to large numbers of residents.

A senior official Selangor Waterworks Department deputy director V.

Subramaniam told the Star newspaper one mainreservior was now only just over a metre above the critical level at which pumping would have to cease.

Water supplies in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley have been badly hit for several months; much of the problem is blamed on the El Nino weather phenomenon sharply reducing the region's rainfall.