Malaysians have been told to pray for rain amid a prolonged dry spell as parliament today approved a rare opposition motion to discuss the water crisis.

Malaysian Muslims were called to recite group or individual prayers for an end to the month-long drought that has contributed to raging peat fires and choking haze.

"The water problem not only affects individual lives, but also involves the country's industrial output," Abdul Hamid Othman, religious adviser to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was quoted as saying by the Utusan Malaysia daily.

"This is directly hazardous to the economic standing of the country and the people," he said.

Opposition party DAP member of parliament for Cheras Tan Kok Wai meanwhile told parliament that the disruption of water supply in the Klang Valley over the last two weeks had affected some 2.5 million consumers.

"This matter is of public interest since the 1998 water crisis is still fresh in people's minds where they had to suffer water disruption for six months between March and September that year," he said.

Ban on open burning

Water rationing has been carried out in the Malacca and in several areas surrounding the capital Kuala Lumpur due to lack of rainfall in catchment areas, resulting in dangerously low water levels in major dams.

The environmental department has said that more than 14,800 hectares of forest had been destroyed around the country in February alone due to fires.

Haze from the blazes has covered much of Kuala Lumpur prompting department officials to condemn air pollution levels in several areas as being unhealthy.

Officials have warned that the prolonged dry spell is expected to last until the end of this month.

Malaysia last month announced an immediate ban on all forms of open burning except for cremation and religious rites, threatening offenders with a fine of RM500,000 ringgit and five years in jail.

Choking haze, caused by fires in Indonesia, enveloped the region in 1997, and to a lesser extent in 1998, and caused major traffic and health hazards as well as an estimated RM9.3 billion in economic losses.