GEORGE TOWN: Penang residents have been advised to store water for daily usage as some areas in the state are experiencing disruptions to the water supply due to high levels of water turbidity in Sg Muda.
Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow pointed out that a similar incident had occurred when floods hit Baling in Kedah, Bernama reported.
“According to the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP), the turbidity level was still acceptable at 3am today, but had increased sharply by 5am.
“This situation has caused the Sg Dua water treatment plant to be unable to treat raw water from Sg Muda due to the risks posed by the high turbidity,” he told reporters here.
According to Chow, PBAPP had announced that water treatment capacity at the Sg Dua plant was only at 30%, hence several areas in Penang were expected to experience water supply disruptions today as a result.
Meanwhile, PBAPP said that the Sg Dua plant is the largest and most important water treatment plant in Penang because it supplies treated water to approximately 465,000 consumers in Seberang Perai and Penang.
“When highly turbid water was detected at the Lahar Tiang intake, PBAPP had to reduce the abstraction of raw water from Sg Muda, causing treated water production at the Sungai Dua plant to drop by 30% to 715 MLD (minimal liquid discharge) at 9am from an average of 1,019 MLD.
“This has affected the supply of treated water to 70% of consumers in George Town, south of Bukit Dumbar to Balik Pulau (Pulau Betong, Bukit Penara, Pondok Upeh and Bandar Balik Pulau), Seberang Perai Tengah (south of Bukit Minyak pump house areas), and Seberang Perai Selatan,” the utility company said.
