IPOH – The Perak government will ensure that its people do not face water supply problems in the future, as experienced in Penang where water supply shortages have affected the people’s daily lives.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said Perak was more prepared to store sufficient water for the people, because the state has nowhere to turn to for raw water supply.
“We have decided to take care of our interests first. We have made a projection (based on a study) that the water we have is sufficient for our own use and cannot be supplied to other states,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session at the 14th Perak assembly sitting at Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here today.
Saarani was responding to a supplementary question from Howard Lee Chuan How (Pasir Pinji-DAP) who wanted to know whether the state government was preparing a business plan in terms of the supply and cost implications of treated water treatment from Penang, even though Perak has decided to stop supplying water to Penang.
Meanwhile, Saarani said that according to Perak Water Board (LAP), as much as 50% of treated water supply for the people in the state were derived from Sg Perak and its tributaries through LAP water treatment plants located along the river.
In addition, he said LAP was also planning to upgrade the raw water processing capacity at several of its plants, and build a new plant in Kg Gajah for water supply to development areas in Seberang Perak along the West Coast Highway, as well as the Bagan Datuk district.
“The main water source for the rice granary located in the Kerian district is from the Bukit Merah Dam, which often experiences a significant drop in supply especially during the dry season.
“As a result, the Irrigation and Drainage Department has recommended that the state government prioritise water supply for the purpose of irrigation of padi fields in this area,” he said in response to an oral question from Abdul Aziz Bari (Tebing Tinggi-DAP). – Bernama, March 29, 2022
