PENANG is set to table a bill on raw water resource management at its upcoming State Legislative Assembly sitting this month, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced today.
The bill, he said, will lay the groundwork for a new water management enactment that aims to significantly enhance regulatory control and oversight of the state’s raw water supply.
“It is time for Penang to have a dedicated enactment for raw water management,” Chow told reporters after officiating at the state’s World Water Day celebration at the Air Itam Dam.
Under the proposed law, a new Penang Water Resources Board will be established to replace the current Penang Water Regulatory Division (BKSA), which Chow said currently lacks enforcement and prosecutorial powers.
“The board will be granted full authority, including enforcement, licensing and permit issuance, and the power to approve applications related to water abstraction activities,” he said.
Chow added that the new entity would ensure a more sustainable and legally robust framework for raw water management in the state.
Penang’s State Executive Council had already approved, in principle, the plan to upgrade BKSA to a fully empowered board last September, according to State Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari.
In a related development, Chow said the Penang government is still waiting for official correspondence from Perak to begin negotiations on the long-anticipated Perak-Penang Water Project.
“We are now just waiting to begin negotiations (with Perak) on the tariff, volume of water to be channelled to Penang, terms, duration of the concession, and so on. That letter is what we are waiting for to enable both states to begin discussions,” he said.
The Perak side of the project is expected to be implemented via a joint venture between the Perak State Development Corporation and GAMUDA.
On 14 March, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that the project — aimed at channelling raw water from Sungai Perak to the Bukit Merah Dam to support the Kerian Integrated Green Industrial Park and supply Penang — had reached its final planning stage. - May 3, 2025
