THE Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) has activated its crisis management plan following low rainfall leaving 7,400 households on the island with water supply issues.
PBAPP chief executive officer K Pathmanathan said the affected areas are George Town, Air Itam, Thean Teik Highway, Tanjung Bungah, Mount Erskine, Balik Pulau, Pulau Betong, and Bayan Lepas.
He said PBAPP would normally address the issue by diverting water from other treatment plants to the affected areas but could not do so due to the low capacity in dams and the declining Sungai Muda water level.
As of yesterday, he said, the Air Itam and Teluk Bahang dams only had an effective capacity of 42.3% and 32.2%, respectively.
“September usually marks the beginning of a rainy season in Penang and the northern region.
“Accordingly, PBAPP is implementing Phase 1 of its crisis management plan to ensure sufficient water supply until September,” he said in a statement.
To fix the situation, Pathmanathan said PBAPP would optimise water production at the Batu Ferringhi and Guillemard water treatment plants and step up production at the Air Itam plant.
“Water tankers and static water tanks will also be deployed to the affected areas, especially during high-demand periods, while PBAPP will request the National Disaster Management Agency carry out cloud seeding,” he said.
The water company will also optimise the refilling of three reservoirs at Bukit Dumbar, Bukit Gedung, and Teluk Kumbar to ensure sufficient supply in industrial areas, particularly on working days when demand is higher. – July 26, 2024.
