THE Penang government, through the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP), and the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) will continue to carry out joint inspections of the mandatory installation of water saving devices in new development projects in Penang.
State Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said this was one of the measures taken to conserve water usage at the State Legislative Assembly sitting at the State Assembly building in Light Street, George Town, today.
He also pointed out that water usage has a direct correlation with its tariff, saying that countries with high tariffs tend to have low water usage while Penang, which has one of the lowest tariffs, has high water consumption.
“The inspection with SPAN was carried out for the first time in Penang in August this year. This initiative will be implemented continuously every year to ensure the implementation of new projects to have WSD requirement is taken seriously.
“In addition, the state government through PBAPP will intensify awareness of water-saving programmes or campaigns in schools, factories, places of worship and exhibitions after Malaysia had entered the endemic stage.
“PBAPP will also launch the Aqua Save programme with the cooperation of the Penang Green Council, offering certificates to eligible parties like schools, factories, government offices, places of worship, hotels, shopping complexes, NGOs and others that have made efforts in water conservation,” said Zairil (PH – Tanjong Bunga), on behalf of Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, in reply to an oral question by Ong Ah Teong (PH – Batu Lancang).
Ong wanted to know the plans of the state government to lower the rate of water consumption per capita to ensure water security for the state as he said the water usage in Penang now exceeds the national average and is two times compared to Singapore.
Chow, in the meantime, is recovering from a Covid-19 infection.
Zairil said for medium and long-term proposals, PBAPP has drawn up a Raw Water Contingency Plan 2030 (RWCP 2030) involving five projects.
They include the upgrading of the sediment tank of the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP) which was completed this year, the Sungai Dua WTP Package 2 that is currently under construction, construction of Mengkuang WTP (Phase 1) which is expected to be completed in 2025, construction of Sungai Muda WTP (Phase 1) and Sungai Perai WTP which is expected to be completed in 2028.
He said if the construction works and upgrading of the water supply infrastructure under the RWPC 2030 are completed, they would yield 569 MLD.
Zairil added that the Penang government would also try to continue negotiating with the Perak government to ensure that the Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme (SPRWTS) could be implemented following the results of the final study report by the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA).
The report, he said, stated that the water capacity of the river is sufficient for Perak to cover the needs of north Perak, Penang and downstream Chenderoh and irrigation until 2050.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar and Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis