KEPALA BATAS – Water supply resumed in stages for about 90% of consumers who faced water disruptions since yesterday in Penang, due to a sudden drop in water level at the Sg Muda (Lahar Tiang) intake inlet, which affected the inflow to the Sg Dua water treatment plant near here.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the remaining 10%, which involves about 40,000 consumers in the Barat Daya district, will receive water supply in stages until Wednesday.
“Since yesterday, more than 400,000 account holders with the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) involving about two million consumers in the state had experienced water disruption, but through concerted efforts from all those involved, water supply was restored to about 90% of consumers within 36 hours.
"Another 10% who are still affected by the disruption are in Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Penang International Airport, Teluk Kumbar, Jalan Pondok Upeh, Bayan Lepas, Persiaran Mayang Pasir, Sg Batu, and Gertak Sanggul.
“22 tankers are currently supplying water to the affected areas, and we will provide additional supply to ensure consumers are not severely affected,” he told reporters after visiting the Lahar Tiang intake area here today, with PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan and state Drainage and Irrigation Department director Mohd Nazri Yasmin.
Chow, who is also the chairman of PBAPP, said PBAPP was currently optimising operations to restore water supply throughout the state and update information for all consumers.
Checks at the Sg Muda (Lahar Tiang) intake inlet showed that the reading was 1.56m today compared with 0.4m yesterday, while raw water abstraction was at 83%.
“Operations at the Sg Dua plant have reached 100%, with production reaching about 1,000 million litres (JLH) a day. PBAPP has been working hard to pump raw water to the maximum level from Sg Muda and from Mengkuang Dam,” he said.
He also urged the National Water Services Commission to carry out a thorough investigation into the malfunctioning issue of the Sg Muda barrage, which affected millions of consumers in Penang and Kedah.
In Kedah, about 252,000 account holders in Kuala Muda, Kulim, and parts of Baling were affected by water disruption due to the sudden drop in water level at the barrage of Sg Muda.
Syarikat Air Darul Aman Sdn Bhd had said in a statement that the water disruption, which started at 7.25am yesterday in the three districts, was unexpected and affected the water treatment plants in Sg Petani/Pinang Tunggal and Kulim Hi-Tech. – Bernama, May 15, 2023
