NIBONG TEBAL: The Federal and Penang governments have implemented various efforts and developed new plans to solve the water supply issues plaguing South Seberang Perai, especially in the Sungai Bakap state constituency.
Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said such mitigation efforts can solve the issues both in the short and long term, adding that the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) has implemented four mitigation efforts, including raising the capacity of the Bukit Panchor water treatment plant from 10 million litres of water a day (MLD) to 21 MLD and provided several areas such as Taman Widuri with pump tanks.
“We need to admit that South Seberang Perai has undergone development, that’s why we need to prioritise boosting water capacity and we thank the Prime Minister for announcing the agreement with Perak for supplying water to Penang.
“These are some long-term steps to solve the water supply issue here and there are several on-going plans at the PBAPP, the main issue here is that the area is at the end of the supply line which comes from Sungai Dua some 50 kilometres away,” he told reporters after visiting the Bukit Panchor plant here today.
He also shared that the ministry was conducting a study to assess Sungai Kerian’s ability as a development area for the Sungai Kerian water treatment plant as a long term plan to overcome water supply issues, and that expected that such a project would be completed in 2028, depending on the land acquisition process.
Based on information from PBAPP, about 1,500 consumer accounts in South Seberang Perai suffered from on and off water supply issues, especially during peak hours, he said.
“PBAPP needs to be more proactive in seeking ways to boost capacity here. We know they have conducted mitigation and taken steps overall, but the production cannot be based on static numbers as development here has risen so it must be in line with demand,” Akmal Nasrullah added.
