THE Manong Water Treatment Plant (WTP) continues to supply treated water that complies with Health Ministry standards, despite concerns over recurring issues of turbidity and odour affecting residents, particularly during heavy rains.
Perak infrastructure, energy, water and transportation committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said Manong WTP was a full-treatment facility with sufficient capacity to meet local demand.
He said the Perak Water Board (LAP) conducted regular asset monitoring to ensure operational efficiency and to maintain water quality for consumers.
“Overall, the water quality in the Manong town area complies with ministry’s standards,” he said during the Perak State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan yesterday.
He was replying to Berhanudin Ahmad (PN-Manong) who asked if the state government planned to upgrade Manong WTP.
Berhanudin also asked if water quality readings in the Manong town area was in compliance with Health Ministry standards.
Mohammad Nizar, however, said LAP acknowledged that the quality of raw water sourced from Sungai Guar had shown signs of deterioration.
LAP, he said, believed this could be linked to upstream land-clearing activities that had contributed to increased turbidity in the river.
“To address the issue, LAP has upgraded its chemical dosing system to improve treatment effectiveness, particularly during periods of high turbidity following heavy rainfall,” he added.
Replying to a written question by Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya (BN-Rungkup), Mohammad Nizar said LAP confirmed that water supply in Bagan Datuk district was drawn from the Hilir Perak WTP in Batu 12, Teluk Intan, and was generally stable.
Any disruptions, he said, was temporary and usually caused by emergency incidents such as burst pipes.
“On repair works, LAP explained that while emergency repairs are carried out immediately, full restoration and stabilisation of the distribution system, especially in areas at the end of the network, may take additional time.
“To strengthen supply resilience, LAP plans to build an elevated water tank in Sungai Sumun to increase storage capacity and improve distribution stability.
“The board also reiterated its recommendation for consumers to instal on-site water storage tanks capable of holding at least one day’s supply, in line with guidelines issued by the National Water Services Commission,” he said.
