ALOR STAR – Over 75,000 Syarikat Air Darul Aman (Sada) user accounts in the Kota Setar and Pokok Sena districts are facing water supply disruptions after a Muda Agricultural Development Authority (Mada) irrigation canal bund collapsed in Pokok Sena near here today.
Through its Facebook account, Sada said two water treatment plants (WTP) – Pokok Sena WTP and Bukit Pinang WTP were forced to shut down to enable emergency repair works.
According to the posting, following the shutting down of both WTPs, a total of 60,000 accounts in Kota Setar were affected from 4.15 pm while some 15,000 accounts were affected in the Pokok Sena district beginning at 4.45 pm.
Among the affected areas in the Kota Setar district are Pekan Langgar, Jalan Langgar to Alor Star city, Kepala Batas town, Jalan Gunung, Jalan Sg Baru as well as Jalan Pantai Johor towards Simpang Empat.
Other affected areas are Istana Anak Bukit, the menteri besar’s official residence, Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Star Prison, Hospital Lama Alor Star, Federal Government Building Complex in Anak Bukit as well as Wisma Darul Aman.
Sada said the water supply disruption is expected to continue until the rate of (water) flow and river water level return to normal.
Meanwhile, Mada chairman Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman said in a statement that the collapse of the bund occurred at around 12.15pm today.
He said the incident was due to heavy rain in the area yesterday which caused the river to flow uncontrollably and there was a rise in the water level from the Sg Padang Terap catchment area.
“This incident is expected to affect the use of treated water supply to the surrounding residents,” he said.
He also said that Mada together with Sada had taken immediate action by carrying out temporary barrier construction work in Sg Bukit Pinang to control the water level in the central canal so that the operation of the Sada water treatment plant would not be affected.
He added that temporary repair work is being carried out tonight by a Mada-appointed contractor. – Bernama, May 9, 2022
