WATER supply resumed in stages for about 90% of consumers who faced water disruption in Penang since yesterday due to a sudden drop in water level at the Sungai Muda (Lahar Tiang) intake inlet, which affected inflow to the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant, near Kepala Batas.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the remaining 10%, which involves about 40,000 consumers in the Barat Daya district will have their water supply restored in stages until Wednesday.

“Since yesterday, more than 400,000 account holders with the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) involving about 2 million consumers in the state had experienced water supply disruption but through concerted efforts from all involved, water supply was restored to about 90% of consumers within 36 hours.

“Another 10% who are still affected by the disruption are areas in Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Penang International Airport, Teluk Kumbar, Jalan Pondok Upeh, Bayan Lepas, Persiaran Mayang Pasir, Sungai Batu and Gertak Sanggul.

“Currently, 22 tankers are supplying water to the affected areas and we will provide additional supply to ensure consumers are not severely affected,” he told reporters after visiting the Lahar Tiang intake area today with PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan and Drainage and Irrigation state director Mohd Nazri Yasmin.

Chow, who is also the chairman of PBAPP, said the corporation is currently optimising operations to restore water supply throughout the state as well as keeping consumers updated on the latest developments.

Checks at the Sungai Muda (Lahar Tiang) intake inlet showed a reading of 1.56m today compared with 0.4m yesterday, while raw water abstraction was at 83%.

“Operations at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant has reached 100% with production reaching about 1,000 million litres a day and PBAPP has been working hard to pump raw water to the maximum level from Sungai Muda and from the Mengkuang Dam,” he said.

He also urged the National Water Services Commission to carry out a thorough investigation into the malfunctioning of the Sungai Muda barrage, which affected millions of consumers in Penang and Kedah.

In Kedah, about 252,000 account holders in Kuala Muda, Kulim and parts of Baling were affected by water disruption due to the sudden drop in water level at the Sungai Muda barrage.

Syarikat Air Darul Aman Sdn Bhd in a statement said the water disruption, which started at 7.25am yesterday in the three districts was unexpected and affected the water treatment plants in Sungai Petani/Pinang Tunggal and Kulim Hi-Tech. – Bernama, May 15, 2023.