GEORGE TOWN, May 14 – The sudden extreme drop in the Sungai Muda river level this morning has prompted the Penang Water Supply Authority (PBAPP) to implement an emergency response plan, urging all water consumers in certain areas to store water for usage until Wednesday, May 17th. The Sungai Dua Water Treatment (WTP) plant, which produces more than 80% of the treated water supplied by PBAPP in Penang daily, is currently operating at 60% – 65% capacity due to the sudden incident at the Sungai Muda river.
This WTP cannot resume 100% level water production of about 1,000 million litres per day (MLD) until PBAPP can resume 100% raw water abstraction from Sungai Muda at the Lahar Tiang Intake. Consumers in the Seberang Perai Utara (SPU), Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT), Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) and southern areas of Penang Island are advised to store water for usage from today (14.5.2023) to Wednesday (17.5.2023), as full normalisation of water supply services in Penang is subject to full “recovery” of the Sungai Muda river level at the intake.
PBAPP is doing its best to address the negative impacts caused by this unforeseen mishap, which happened upstream of the Lahar Tiang Intake. Investigations are being carried out by Pengurusan Lembangan Sungai Muda (PLSM), the National Water Services Commission (SPAN), and the Penang Water Supply Authority (BKSA) to determine the cause of the incident. PBAPP urges consumers in affected areas to refer to the maps on the supply areas of the Sungai Dua WTP and to store water for usage until further notice.
