THE National Water Services Commission (SPAN) has been urged to investigate the Sungai Muda water level incident at the Lahar Tiang Intake inlet that occurred at about 5am on Sunday (May 14).
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said over 400,000 consumers in Penang (on the island and mainland) experienced water disruption after the unexpected water crisis.
Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) stated in a media release today that the cause of the mishap was due to an automatic sensor failure at one of the Sungai Muda barrages which suddenly opened the floodgate, allowing ‘super large quantities’ of river water to flow out to the sea.
“The automatic sensor failure happened in Kedah, but many Penangites were affected by this incident.
“I urge SPAN to conduct a full investigation into this incident.
“We want answers because over 400,000 water consumers in Penang suffered as a result of this incident.
“SPAN should get the relevant authorities in Kedah to check the systems of all the barrages to assess if there is a need for upgrade or repair.
“A faulty automatic sensor in one Kedah barrage can cause so much damage in Penang,” he said.
“This is called preventive maintenance, which is extremely important to prevent the occurrence of such crises which can impact many people,” Chow told a media conference after visiting the Sungai Muda River (Lahar Tiang Intake inlet) on the mainland today.
Meanwhile, PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said the water level at the Sungai Muda River has risen to 1.66m as of 11.30am today.
When the mishap occurred yesterday morning (May 14), it is understood that the water level dropped to as low as 0.4m.
PBAPP responded by drawing water from the expanded Mengkuang Dam as an emergency response measure.
“The raw water abstraction operations at Lahar Tiang have reached 83% and the water production at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP) has also attained 100% – about 1,000 million litres per day (MLD).
“Water supply for about 400,000 consumers on the island and the mainland has been normalised now.
“We still have about 40,000 consumers who are still affected by yesterday’s (May 14) incident,” Pathmanathan said.
On Sunday (May 14), PBAPP projected in its first statement that water disruption would last from May 14 to 17.
Chow said, however, water supply status reached 90% in 36 hours, thanks to the immediate action taken by the corporation.
“I thank and commend the PBAPP team for a job well done.
“PBAPP responded quickly to an emergency water scenario.
“Today, the majority of the people in Penang are enjoying the benefits of your work.
“That said, I would like to urge you (PBAPP) to keep up the good work and achieve full recovery or 100% of water supply status as targeted or sooner,” Chow added.
Separately, he urged the Federal Government to set up the proposed ‘Ulu Muda Basin Authority’ (UMBA) to manage the Ulu Muda Basin effectively and professionally.
“Both Penang and Kedah are highly dependent on the Ulu Muda River Basin, which includes Sungai Muda for water supply and irrigation.
“We must not ignore the importance of conserving this river basin properly for the good of our people, our economies and the future of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER),” Chow added.
Meanwhile, when asked about the implementation of the Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme (SPRWTS), state Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the Federal Government has confirmed that a meeting would take place between the Penang and Perak governments in June.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar
Video by Ahmad Adil Muhamad