GEORGE TOWN – The interim investigation into last weekend’s water disruption affecting 800,000 consumer accounts in Penang and Kedah found that it was down to a faulty gate sensor under a barrage manned by the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID).
It has nothing to do with the water authorities in either state, said the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) chairman Charles Santiago.
In a meeting with the media yesterday, he said the SPAN interim investigation found that the faulty sensor at Gate 14 was the cause of a drawdown from the Sg Muda basin into the Malacca Straits instead of being channelled into intake stations in Kedah and Penang.
The technical default occurred around 10pm on May 13 and by 7.30am the next day, the drawdown was visible and large enough in quantity to cause a major supply disruption, causing dry taps for 600,000 accounts in Penang and 200,000 in Kedah.
Water supply was fully restored within 72 hours as time was needed to rebuild pressure and to ensure quality was maintained, he said.
Showing a photograph of the 14km barrage at the Ampang Jajar, Santiago said the gates which control the flow of Sg Muda waters for water supply, irrigation and flood mitigation, were located on the Kedah side, as those in Penang have not been used for the past 50 years.
There are 14 gates with sensors on the Kedah boundary, of which eight are now no longer operational due to maintenance issues.
A similar incident happened on September 5 last year but the difference then was that DID personnel managed to spot it early on and prevented a major drawdown.
“DID asked for an allocation of RM8 million to rectify the issue and it is now under the tender stage.”
He added that economic losses from disruption to the households, commercial and industrial sectors were at least RM500 million.
He also praised the Penang Water Authority Holdings for quick action in restoring supply within 24 hours to 80% of the affected locations.
Looking forward, Charles, who is the former Klang MP, said that the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry needs to take over the Sg Muda basin management office and empower the DID to undertake upgrading works.
The ministry needs to form a Sg Muda basin authority to oversee the area.
There is also a need to rezone the area as a high security and safety zone to prevent trespassing and to ensure only authorised personnel have access to prevent water pollution and other adverse incidents.
This has to be given priority to prevent a recurrence, he added.
He also thanked the water authorities in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Melaka, Johor and Perak for deploying up to 12 water tankers to help consumers in Kedah and Penang. – The Vibes, May 20, 2023
