GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has asked the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) to coordinate a faster recovery of water supply for the scheduled water supply interruption next month.
Responding to public feedback, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said he had told PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan to do his best to reduce the inconveniences to the public and businesses in Penang.
He said the state government understood that the 1,200mm valve replacement works at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP) were major water works that must be completed properly to reduce the risks of a major plant breakdown.
"However, we still want PBAPP to minimise public inconvenience.
"In response, the PBAPP team is planning to gradually recover water supply services for the 590,000 affected consumers in stages, in a timeframe ranging from 48 hours to 96 hours.
"The overall goal is to ensure that the majority, or more than 50 per cent, of affected consumers get water supply within 72 hours.
"I have also asked PBAPP to recover water supply for the big non-domestic consumers in Batu Kawan, Bukit Minyak, Butterworth, Prai, George Town and the Bayan Lepas free trade zone (FTZ) in the shortest possible timeframe," he told newsmen in his office in Komtar today.
Chow said he would leave it to Pathmanathan to announce PBAPP's revised targets to recover water supply services for the majority of affected consumers in a scheduled PBAPP press conference this Wednesday at the Sungai Dua WTP.
It was reported that some 590,000 water consumers in the state, including non-domestic consumers in all key industrial areas, would experience a four-day water supply interruption from Jan 10 to 14, next year.
This would be one of the major planned disruption in nearly three decades.
The four-day interruption was unavoidable to cater to two major valve replacement works in Sungai Dua, Butterworth.
The two 1,200mm valves are within the Sungai Dua WTP and near the WTP fence which are leaking.
Various ancillary water works projects at 22 other locations throughout the state would also be carried out simultaneously.
Elaborating, Chow said in the duration of the scheduled water supply interruption, PBAPP would deploy a fleet of 55 water tankers to transport water, according to fixed schedules, to affected consumers.
He said PBAPP has sought the assistance of other state water operators to send more water tankers to Penang.
A total of 60 static water tanks will also be installed in targeted areas to help meet the water needs of consumers.
"Since PBAPP is now planning to recover water supply in stages, the overall deployment plan of the water tankers in Penang will be re-configured on a day-by-day basis from Jan 10.
"As more and more areas receive water supply, PBAPP will 'move' and re-deploy water tankers to areas without water supply.
"We have asked PBAPP to publicise its water tanker and static tank response plan later this month, after PBAPP announces its revised targets for water supply recovery in stages," he added.
The people of Penang, according to Chow, play a crucial role beyond being mere water consumers.
"It is our collective responsibility to actively participate in ensuring the seamless execution of water facility maintenance and recovery operations.
"Let us collaboratively engage in these efforts to contribute to the efficient functioning and restoration of our water infrastructure," he said.
