GEORGE TOWN – Penang has experienced a 10.4% surge in water demand over the span of three years, the state’s water company said.
The Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) said demand has increased from 842 million litres per day (MLD) to the current 931MLD in May this year.
The corporation said the manufacturing sector’s two to three-fold increase in production has caused disruption to the domestic water supply in the Seberang Prai Selatan district in recent months.
State Infrastructure and Transport Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said this was a significant increase over a short period, as records showed the daily consumption in 2019 was 843MLD, followed by 845MLD in 2020, and 860MLD last year.
“While most sectors were not allowed to operate in 2020 and 2022, including manufacturing and commercial sectors, water consumption still recorded an increase due to the high usage of the domestic consumers,” Zairil said.
In comparison, he said, historical data shows that water consumption increased by only 7.8% in a nine-year period between 2010 and 2019, from 782MLD in 2010 to 843MLD per day in 2019.
Zairil, who is Tanjong Bunga assemblyman, said this at a press conference held at the state legislative assembly today.
Also present was Jawi assemblyman H’ng Mooi Lye, Bukit Tambun assemblyman Goh Choon Aik, Sg Bakap assemblyman Amar Pritpal Abdullah and PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa.
Zairil said, as a short-term measure, PBAPP is planning to maximise water treatment at its nine water treatment plants in the state.
Zairil added that the Sg Dua water treatment plant in Seberang Prai Utara, which produces more than 80% of the treated water in Penang, as well as all water treatment plants in the state, were now running at optimal capacity 24 hours a day.
He said the corporation is sending more treated water from the Sg Dua water treatment plant to Seberang Prai Selatan in order to meet and overcome the water disruptions affecting 32,993 consumers in the district.
Jaseni said the corporation has deployed 24 water tankers and static water tanks to address the unscheduled disruptions at “end-of-line” and higher ground areas that had low water pressure.
This, Jaseni said, included areas such as Taman Seruling, Taman Widuri, Kg Sg Duri, Kg Sg Baong, Permatang Ara and the Sg Baong Industrial Estate.
“We are also prioritising water supply for all consumers in Seberang Prai Selatan for 12 hours from 6pm to 6am daily,” he said.
The water supply to Batu Kawan and the Bukit Minyak Industrial Estates was also being regulated, he added.
Jaseni advised domestic consumers to have 24 hours of water storage and 48 hours of supply for industrial consumers, to ensure continuous water supply throughout the day.
On Monday, residents from Seberang Prai Selatan held a peaceful demonstration outside the state legislative assembly building at Light Street to seek solutions to long-standing water issues in their area.
Sg Bakap steering committee deputy chairman Khairul Ahmad Fitri said the residents of Mukim 5 in South Seberang Prai have suffered frequent water disruptions over the last four years. – The Vibes, June 2, 2022
