Story by Danny Ooi
Pix by Ahmad Adil Mohamad
THE completion of the RM1.2 billion Mengkuang Dam expansion project, important in ensuring Penang’s raw water supply, will be delayed by another year.Funded by the federal government and implemented by the Water Supply Department of the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry, the dam expansion project was originally scheduled for completion on July 31 next year but will now be delayed to mid-2017, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng told a press conference at the state legislative assembly building on
Nov 17.He added that the state government was concerned that the delay could impact the state’s supply of raw water, and urged the federal government to ensure that watersupply is not compromised during the dryseason.Lim said to speed up the expansion, the state had agreed to lower the capacity ofthe dam after having a written guarantee
that water from Kedah would be released into Sungai Muda at the Penang-Kedah border during drought.
“We will ask that this guarantee be extended for another year until the dam expansion project is completed.
“General manager of Penang WaterSupply Corporation (PBAPP) Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa will write to the federal government to make this request.“We hope there will not be any water crisis in Penang,” he said.
Meanwhile, Jaseni said the guarantee should be extended until the defect and liability period for the project ends, even
after the dam is completed.When completed, the dam which is the largest in the state will boost Penang’s water supply by three times. “When the expansion is completed, youcan put 27 Air Itam dams into the Mengkuang Dam,” Jaseni said, adding that it was also a good destination for recreation.Lim said Penang was committed to keeping its track record of never having
to resort to water rationing, even during drought, through measures like good management of water supply and demand.
“To date, PBAPP has been able to sustain continuous good water supply in Penang for the benefit of 561,811 registered water consumers including multinational corporations that operate round the clock. “We are proud of this achievement. We have zero tolerance for water rationing,”he said, adding that Penang was the only state that had never resorted to water rationing.
He urged 1.6 million Penangites to conserve water as Penang, where the water tariff for domestic use is the cheapest
at 32 sen per 1,000 litres, was also the state that uses the most water.if (document.currentScript) {
Mengkuang Dam project delayed
