Sort out hiccups in Mengkuang Dam’s engineering design: Guan Eng

GEORGE TOWN – The Penang Water Supply Corporation Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) has been urged to rectify any defects which may exist at the Mengkuang Dam in view of possible issues in its engineering design, said Lim Guan Eng.

The Bagan MP and Air Putih state assemblyman said that the inclusion of Penang’s largest reservoir, Mengkuang Dam, as one of the seven high-risk dams in Malaysia by the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) last month has sparked surprise and concern.

The other six high-risk dams are Pedu and Muda in Kedah; Durian Tunggal, Asahan, and Jus in Malacca; and Linggui in Johor.

SPAN said that these dams may cause water supply issues to treatment plants and surrounding areas in the event of a malfunction, including due to weather-related factors. 

Following this, the DAP chairman led a delegation of state party backbenchers to visit PBAPP, where they conveyed their concerns to its chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan.

PBAPP has since clarified that the dam is safe based on its internal checks and audits.

But the former Penang chief minister nonetheless issued a statement, stating that he needed to seek clarification.

Pathmanathan was quoted by Lim as saying that he had disagreed and rebutted SPAN’s statement listing Mengkuang Dam as a high-risk dam. 

However, the CEO had apparently conceded that SPAN’s insistence that the dam had scored 71%, which is categorised as high-risk for water supply dams. 

This would affect public confidence in PBAPP’s ability to ensure a stable and reliable water supply, Lim said.

This was reiterated by the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Datuk Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

SPAN has highlighted that the high-risk dams will affect the future guarantee of sufficient water supply in Penang. 

“Such concerns are relevant due to the sudden and unprecedented water supply disruptions that have occurred to Penang over the past two years. 

“Even though the past water disruptions were not related to Mengkuang Dam being listed as a high-risk dam, it has not helped PBAPP’s carefully cultivated image as the best water authority in Malaysia for professional water management,” Lim said.

PBAPP must rectify any defects listed by SPAN at the Mengkuang Dam to remove any threats to the safety and sustainability of water supply to 1.74 million Penangites, he added.

PBAPP should also explain whether they are considering SPAN’s proposal of alternative approaches, such as off-river storage, that has existing ponds converted into water reservoirs, said Lim. – The Vibes, November 7, 2023