GEORGE TOWN – Penang may face water supply disruptions this week due to an unknown “sudden mishap” that occurred along Sg Muda, said the Penang Water Supply Corporation.
In a statement posted on its Facebook account, PBAPP said some areas on the island and the mainland may suffer from low water pressure or no supply at all from today until Wednesday.
It said an extreme drop in the water levels of Sg Muda at PBAPP’s Lahar Tiang Intake inlet at about 5am today affected treated water production at the Sg Dua water treatment plant.
PBAPP said it is drawing water from the Expanded Mengkuang Dam as an emergency response measure.
However, the volume of water being drawn from the dam is insufficient to make up for the shortfall from Sg Muda, it said.
It added that the Sg Dua plant cannot produce treated water at the “normal” volume of about 1,000 million litres per day (MLD) to meet demand in Seberang Prai and some areas on Penang Island.
Production has been limited to between 600 MLD and 650 MLD until raw abstraction at Lahar Tiang can be restored to 100%, which is subject to the “recovery” of the Sg Muda river level, PBAPP said.
Consumers who still have water supply are advised to store water over the period.
PBAPP said its engineers are working to normalise raw water abstraction at Lahar Tiang and treated water production at the Sg Dua plant.
Earlier, 252,000 user accounts in Kuala Muda, Kulim, and parts of Baling experienced unscheduled water supply disruption due to a sudden drop in the water levels caused by damage to the Sg Muda barrage gate.
Supplier Syarikat Air Darul Aman Sdn Bhd (Sada) said in a statement that the water supply disruption in the three districts started at 7.25am today.
It said that the incident resulted in the operations of the Sg Petani/Pinang Tunggal and Kulim Hi-Tech water treatment plants being temporarily suspended until the river level stabilises.
Following the suspension, a total of 252,000 users have been affected, and among the areas involved are Sg Petani, Bedong, Pantai Merdeka, Kulim, Lunas, Kuala Ketil, and several other major areas.
It also said that it will mobilise water tankers to the affected areas, prioritising critical premises such as hospitals, clinics, dialysis centres, and funeral homes throughout the disruption period.
Operation rooms have been activated and users can channel complaints or inquiries via the Sada head office at 04-740-8976; central Kedah region (04-421-6798); southern region (04-484-6770); and the Sada information centre at 1300-88-0017. – The Vibes, May 14, 2023
