Many water supply challenges remain for Penang, says Chow

 

Chow Kon Yeow said the Penang Water Supply Corporation will continue upgrading its assets to better serve the people.

GEORGE TOWN: There are still many challenges ahead for Penang in terms of ensuring its water supply for the future, says chief minister Chow Kon Yeow.

While Chow described the Sungai Dua treatment plant valve replacement and maintenance works at 22 locations statewide a success, he said limited water supply and ageing infrastructure will continue to pose a challenge in the future.

The scheduled water disruption from Jan 10-14 resulted in disruptions to 590,000 users in Penang. However, water supply was restored to most consumers earlier than expected.

According to Chow, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) will continue upgrading its assets to better serve the people.

“This is to ensure more efficient and effective delivery of water supply,” he told reporters after attending a scholarship award ceremony here by Ancom Crop Care.

Separately, Chow said the state government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) on recycling water from its sewage plants for use by factories.

Acknowledging the recommendation from the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) for Penang to tap into treating wastewater, the chief minister said talks with IWK were ongoing.

“Most importantly, we need to have consumers, in this case factories, (that are) willing to buy recycled water for their operations.”

SPAN chairman Charles Santiago was reported to have said Penang would be able to reclaim 200 million litres of water per day (MLD) out of wastewater from the island alone. Currently, Penang produces 1,126 MLD of water from its nine treatment plants across the state.

Santiago said reclaimed water would particularly benefit industries, with the Bayan Baru and Jelutong sewage treatment plants located near factories, and cheaper to treat than processing river water.

Meanwhile, Chow said the state government had yet to receive any requests for water bill rebates for consumers who were affected by the scheduled water disruption.

Responding to Penang Gerakan’s call for at least a 50% rebate on water bills, he simply said the Penang government “will wait and see”. - FMT