GEORGE TOWN, Oct 28 — The Penang state executive council has approved the proposal to elevate the Bahagian Kawal Selia Air (BKSA) into the Penang Water Authority (PWA) with the tabling of the Water Resource Enactment next year.

State infrastructure committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the PWA would have authority to enforce the licensing of abstraction from raw water resources in the state, including sea water for desalination.

"This will give the body more power to enforce a penalty on those who release effluents into our rivers or seas,” he said in a press conference at Komtar today.

He also said the exco is finalising the draft enactment, with the tabling expected to be in the May meeting of the assembly.

He said the details of the PWA, its composition, and enforcement powers will be laid out in the Bill.

"It will be similar to the water authority in other states, since water is state matter, we need this to protect our raw water resources that includes rivers, sea and ground water,” he said.

The enactment will also cover the licensing of activities that releases waste water into any of the state’s body of water such as aquaculture, agriculture, manufacturing and quarries, he said.

Penalties may be imposed on those who failed to treat their waste water before releasing it into the river.

Zairil said that currently, the BKSA does not have powers to act against those it found to be polluting the state’s water resources.

"Action can only be taken via reports to the Department of Environment when someone filed a complaint on effluents being released into the river,” he said.