SEVERAL key water infrastructure projects have been completed, while others are underway to address water supply challenges and meet growing demand in the South Seberang Perai (SPS) district.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who is also the chairman of the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP), said two major projects have already been successfully completed as part of the state’s short- and medium-term strategy to improve water supply reliability in SPS.
“The first is the 6.4 million litres per day (MLD) Compact Water Treatment Plant (WTP) at Sungai Kerian, while the second is the Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) plant at the Bukit Panchor Water Treatment Plant.
“These two projects serve as short- and medium-term measures to address water supply issues in the SPS district,” Chow told Buletin Mutiara during a site visit to both facilities today.
Also present were Penang Rural Development, Agrotechnology and Food Security Committee chairman Datuk Rashidi Zinol and PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan.
Looking ahead, another major water infrastructure project, an 80 MLD Water Treatment Plant at Sungai Kerian.
“This project forms part of the Water Contingency Plan 2030 (WCP 2030), which comprises eight water infrastructure projects with a total investment exceeding RM600 million.
“In addition, we will implement another 114 MLD Water Treatment Plant at Sungai Kerian. The appointment of the contractor is expected to be made by the end of this year,” he said.
According to Chow, these projects are designed to significantly enhance PBAPP’s capacity to provide reliable water supply services, particularly to residents and businesses in SPS.
“Once these projects are operational, water for SPS can be sourced directly from Sungai Kerian instead of being transmitted all the way from the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant.
“Previously, treated water had to be channelled from North Seberang Perai to South Seberang Perai. With new treatment facilities in SPS, the water currently supplied from Sungai Dua to SPS can instead be redirected to better serve North Seberang Perai and Central Seberang Perai.
“We hope these projects can be completed as scheduled so that we can further enhance our water supply capacity and continue delivering the best possible services to the people of Penang,” he said.
Chow stressed that these preparations are essential as water demand in Penang continues to rise in tandem with the state’s rapid economic growth.
“Penang remains a preferred destination for manufacturing investments, commercial activities and other developments that require significantly higher water consumption than before.
“It is therefore the responsibility of both the Penang government and PBAPP to ensure that water supply services are managed efficiently and delivered reliably to meet future demand,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pathmanathan said PBAPP has been operating the 6.4 MLD Compact Water Treatment Plant in SPS since March last year to increase treated water production for the district.
“Tapping Sungai Kerian, which forms the natural boundary between Penang and Perak, the Compact WTP is capable of producing up to 6.4 MLD of treated water.
“The treated water is currently supplied to approximately 4,000 consumers in the surrounding area. It serves as an interim three-year engineering solution to address the district’s growing water demand,” he said.
He noted that treated water supplied to SPS currently comes from three main water treatment facilities, namely the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant in North Seberang Perai, the Bukit Panchor Water Treatment Plant in SPS and the Compact Water Treatment Plant at Sungai Kerian.
“By 2027, PBAPP will commission a new 80 MLD Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Water Treatment Plant that will also tap Sungai Kerian to further increase treated water production for SPS. More details on this project will be announced soon.
“By 2030, the 114 MLD Sungai Kerian Water Treatment Plant, which is one of the key projects under the Water Contingency Plan 2030, will be commissioned to further strengthen and stabilise water supply services in South Seberang Perai,” he said.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis
Video by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat