KUALA NERANG: Two water treatment plants (WTP) affected by floods in the Padang Terap district were temporarily closed yesterday, causing water supply disruptions to approximately 5,000 user accounts in Lubuk Merbau and Nami.
Kedah Public Works, Natural Resources, Water Supply and Environmental Committee chairman Mohamad Yusoff Zakaria said that the two WTPs were temporarily closed after being hit by floods due to continuous rain over the past few days.
“We had to temporarily suspend the operations of two treatment plants located in Lubuk Merbau and Nami due to flooding, causing water supply disruptions to approximately 5,000 accounts,“ he told reporters after visiting the temporary relief centre (PPS) in Kampung Kuala Pai here today.
“SADA (Syarikat Air Darul Aman Sdn Bhd) has activated a contingency plan by transporting treated water to the affected areas via tankers. However, some areas may be inaccessible due to disrupted road access.”
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He said that several other WTPs in the state were also affected by the floods but were still operating but not at maximum capacity.
Meanwhile, SADA in a statement today said that the river water level affecting the operations of the Bukit Pinang WTP has shown an increasing trend and is at risk of causing water supply disruptions affecting users in the Kota Setar district and parts of Pokok Sena.
“This situation is due to continuous heavy rain upstream. So far, the involved water treatment plants are still operating at 100 per cent capacity, but SADA would like to advise users to make the necessary preparations to store water and use water wisely,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Yusoff also said that the floods affecting Padang Terap and several other districts in Kedah were not caused by water released from the main dam in the state, but rather due to continuous heavy rain over the past two days.
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“Some say the floods were caused by water released from two dams in Padang Terap, but technically, it was due to continuous heavy rain over the past few days. When heavy rain continues, excess water from the dam will naturally overflow into the river,” he added.
“Therefore, the allegation that the floods were caused by the actions of the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) releasing water from the dam under its supervision is not true. The overflow of water is also not related to the major floods currently affecting the neighbouring country, Thailand, as claimed by the public.”
