GEORGE TOWN, July 6 — Penang will be relying on the Mengkuang Dam for its water supply in the next few days after flash floods in Baling, Kedah washed too much mud and slime into Sungai Muda, affecting operations of the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said operations at the Sungai Dua plant will be shut down temporarily from 8am today due to high turbidity of water in Sungai Muda.
"Due to the shutdown, some areas faced low water pressure and water supply issues,” he said in a press conference here today.
As a contingency plan, he said water from the Mengkuang Dam — Penang's main water reserve — will be drawn to supply piped water to affected consumers.
"In a worse case scenario, without another source of water supply, the dam has enough supply for the whole state to last 108 days,” he said.
He said water supply for 85 per cent of the state comes from Sungai Muda while the remaining are from Teluk Bahang Dam and Air Itam Dam.
He said the muddy residue in the Sungai Muda may take a few days to settle.
Chow said the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa is currently holding a meeting at the water treatment plant to take action on resuming water supply to affected consumers.
In a statement, PBAPP said the Sungai Dua water treatment plant resumed water production in stages after 12pm today as the turbidity has decreased to an acceptable level.
The Seberang Perai City Council and Penang Island City Council have sent cleaning teams, machineries and equipment to assist in cleaning up works at Baling.
Penang’s Mutiara Food Bank is also sending cooked food to the affected areas in Baling.
Floods and water surge phenomenon hit Baling last Monday, claiming three lives with more than 1,400 residents evacuated to three temporary evacuation centres.
The operations of two more water treatments plants in Kedah — Kulim Hi-Tech Park and Bukit Pinang/Sungai Petani — were also suspended earlier due to turbidity.
