THE Penang government will request for cloud seeding from the Meteorological Department if the effective capacity of the Air Itam Dam drops to 40%.
Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa said the state government had a coordination meeting with the Kedah state government regarding the matter.
“When the department does cloud seeding, it is not only done in Penang. It is done over an area, based on the cloud movement.
“Usually, it is conducted from northern Perak until Langkawi,” Jaseni said, adding that PBAPP would inform the state once the effective capacity of the Air Itam Dam hits 40%.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the water supply from the Air Itam Dam could last for about 48 days without much rainfall.
“As of today, the effective capacity of the Air Itam Dam is around 50%. The Air Itam Dam supplies water to the Air Itam township, Paya Terubong valley and the surrounding areas.
“Please conserve water as we are facing a serious dry season,” Chow said during a site visit at the Air Itam Dam today.
Chow said Penang is concerned about the low water level of Sungai Muda.
“Sungai Muda is Penang’s primary raw water resource.
“Kedah is releasing water into Sungai Muda, from the Muda Dam and Beris Dam in Kedah, to meet raw water demand in Kedah as well as Penang.
“However, the river level of Sungai Muda has fallen below PBAPP’s alert level of 2.0m for 42 consecutive days, from Feb 9 to March 22. The river level as of March 22 was 1.82m.
“The capacity of the Muda Dam was 49.6% on March 22, while the capacity of the Beris Dam was 73.3%,” Chow said.
He said that PBAPP would be proactively monitoring the issue.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi
Video by Law Suun Ting