GEORGE TOWN – Groundwater extraction may not be a viable or safe option for Penang due to the socio-geographical factors and high risks involved, said the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP).
Its chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa said it was not a rational long-term water supply solution for Penang, given that the island only has a total land area of 1,048 sq km.
As such, he said, the potential volume of available groundwater is low.
Jaseni said groundwater extraction may also lead to land subsidence, which has been scientifically researched and documented worldwide.
Places where this has been shown include Bangkok, Thailand; Java, Indonesia; and Venice Italy, which reportedly suffer from land subsidence related to groundwater exploitation.
“In Malaysia, Kelantan is one of the highest groundwater consumption states. A 2018 paper published by researchers from the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand notes that land in northern Kelantan subsides at a maximum of 4.22m a year.
“It should be noted that Penang is a highly developed and densely populated state with many high-rise buildings.
“Potential damage from land subsidence may be catastrophic in urban areas,” Jaseni said in a statement here today.
He said flooding is also a natural ramification of groundwater over-exploitation, noting that deep-well pumping in Bangkok has caused significant land subsidence over the past 35 years and flooding threatens the city annually, caused also by various other environmental factors such as climate change, rising sea levels, and deforestation.
Kelantan’s annual floods, he said, may be due to similar factors, with groundwater extraction-induced land subsidence being one of them.
Jaseni said that according to the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency, groundwater is especially risky in areas where population density is high and human use of land is intensive.
“Virtually any activity whereby chemicals or wastes are released into the environment, whether intentionally or accidentally, has the potential to pollute groundwater.
“When groundwater becomes contaminated, it is difficult and expensive to clean up.”
He added the US’ Centre for Disease Control and Prevention notes that groundwater contaminated by human activities can make people sick.
“These activities may include incorrect use of fertilisers and pesticides; poorly situated, constructed or maintained septic systems; improper removal or storage of wastes; mining and construction, and chemical spills at worksites.”
Jaseni said groundwater extraction is clearly regarded in Kelantan as a solution to meet water demand in rural areas.
However, in Penang, groundwater is an unsuitable water supply solution due to its different circumstances and socioeconomic environment.
“This is why groundwater has not been tapped in Penang since the first simple water supply system was commissioned here in 1805,” he said. – The Vibes, June 14, 2021
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