Three major dams in Penang drop below optimum level - PBAPP

GEORGE TOWN, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- The Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) has advised people to be prudent in their use of water as the three major dams in the state have dropped below the optimum level.

Its chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said as at yesterday, the effective capacity of Teluk Bahang Dam was 64.2 per cent, lower than the 86.4 per cent recorded in the same period last year.

"For Air Itam Dam it was 84.1 per cent last year compared to 84.7 per cent this year while for Mengkuang Dam it was 92.8 per cent in 2022 and 87.2 per cent this year. The optimum level for dams is more than 90 per cent," he said in a statement today.

He said the low effective capacity was due to the lower amount of rainfall recorded last year and the water supply crisis at the Sungai Dua water treatment plant (LRA) near here.

The water supply disruption forced PBAPP to maximise the discharge of raw water from the Air Itam and Teluk Bahang dams, he said.

Pathmanathan said records showed that 873.5 millimetres (mm) of rainfall was recorded in Air Itam Dam between September and December last year, while Mengkuang Dam had 1,541 mm and Teluk Bahang Dam had 1,169 mm.

He said to meet the demand for water during the year-end festivities last year and the coming Chinese New Year, PBAPP had optimised the production of treated water at the Sungai Dua LRA, apart from pumping more treated water to the island and Seberang Perai.

PBAPP would not schedule any pipe works until after Chinese New Year so that consumers could clean their houses without any disruption, he said.

-- BERNAMA