GEORGE TOWN – Some 700,000 domestic households and industrial factories here are experiencing water supply disruption as the Sg Dua water treatment plant on the mainland is down due to a technical issue since the pre-dawn hours of today.
The unscheduled supply disruption happened just when Penang Water Supply Corp (PBAPP) was in the midst of running its scheduled maintenance exercise involving the majority of its consumers in Seberang Prai.
The scheduled maintenance order was announced by Penang Chief Minister and PBAPP board chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who said it was a necessity to ensure that the production capacity would be back to its optimum level.
It was slated for December 2 to 4 but now it has been deferred as PBAPP is working to resolve the sudden supply disruption to major areas on the island.
Last July, most of Penang suffered major water cuts after floodwaters filled with debris streamed down Sg Muda to the main intake station at Lahar Tiang in Kepala Batas.
It went on to disrupt the treatment facility in Sg Dua.
Now, PBAPP in a statement stated that similar floods in Baling had impacted the scheduled maintenance at the Sg Dua plant, causing a technical issue to flare up.
PBAPP hopes to restore water supply to normal levels in stages between noon and 4pm.
Areas with either no water or low pressure are Gelugor, Bukit Gelugor, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Batu Uban, Jalan Sg Dua, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Jalan Kg Jawa, Free Trade Industrial Zone, Taman Lip Sin, Sg Nibong, Jalan Tengah, Taman Pekaka, Jalan Aziz Ibrahim, Bukit Jambul, Bayan Baru, Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, Pulau Jerejak, Bayan Lepas International Airport, Bayan Lepas, Persiaran Mayang Pasir, Taman Bukit Dumbar, Jalan Permatang Damar Laut, Batu Maung, Teluk Tempoyak, Bandar Cassia (Jalan Kekabu), Desa Wangsa Flats, Jalan Yeap Chor Ee, Island Glades, Island Park, Teluk Kumbar, Bukit Gedung, Balik Pulau, Sg Ara, Jalan Tun Dr Awang, and Relau.
In online chat groups, civil society personalities in Penang began hitting out at the state and the water authority, saying that disruption should not be common in a state like Penang, which boasts one of the oldest water utility operators in the country.
Tg Bungah Residents’ Association president Zulfikar Abdul Aziz said water cuts have caught many consumers off guard, especially since it is a weekend. – The Vibes, December 3, 2022
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