PENANG Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has urged the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) to launch a probe on the recent disruption of water supply that has affected hundreds of thousands of customers in Penang and Kedah.
“We want an investigation to be carried out. More than 400,000 consumers are affected in Penang, and more than 200,000 consumers are affected in Kedah,” Chow told reporters during a visit to the Lahar Tiang water treatment plant today (May 15).
This comes following Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor’s announcement yesterday that a sensor failure at one of the Sungai Muda barrages had unlocked a floodgate, allowing river water to flow out to sea, thus creating water supply interruptions in both states.
Following the event, the Penang water supply corporation (PBAPP) had issued a warning to Penangites that the water disruption might last until Wednesday (May 17) and will affect hundreds of thousands of consumers in Seberang Perai’s three districts and in mainland Penang.
According to PBAPP CEO K. Pathmanathan, the Sungai Muda river which is the main source of raw water for Penang had dropped by half to one metre instead of the minimum two metres required to extract raw water for treatment.
PBAPP is unsure when full production of purified water is going to resume as it is dependent on the river water level returning to normal.
Chow also urged Putrajaya to establish the Ulu Muda Basin Authority to properly and professionally manage the Ulu Muda basin, as suggested two years ago by PBAPP and the Penang state government.
According to Chow, both Kedah and Penang rely heavily on the Ulu Muda basin, which includes Sungai Muda, for water supply and irrigation.
As of 9am this morning, PBAPP announced on their Facebook page that the water supply recovery in Seberang Perai and Penang Island had reached 90%. – May 15, 2023
Main pic credit: Facebook/PBAPP Penang
