Worrying sight: Sungai Muda is highly dependent on the only other reservoir at the moment, the Beris Lake.
GEORGE TOWN: Penang has raised the alarm again over the water level at the Muda Lake, which is critical and can no longer support Sungai Muda during this dry spell.
Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer, Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa, called for urgent action to be taken by Kedah and the Federal Government to ensure there would be no water rationing in Penang and Kedah.
“The volume of the 160-billion-litre-Muda Lake was only 7.44% on Feb 13 and as such the level of Sungai Muda is highly dependent on only the other reservoir, the 120 billion-litre Beris Lake,” he said yesterday.
“The volume of this lake was reported to be 69.87% on Feb 6 and we have not been able to obtain more recent readings for the Beris Lake.”
Jaseni said that to sustain the Sungai Muda river level, the Beris Lake is releasing about 864 million litres of water per day (MLD).
“The Sungai Muda level at Penang’s Lahar Tiang intake was at the alert level of 1.77m, lower than the normal level of 2.0m.
“If the Beris Lake does not have sufficient water to release and sustain the Sungai Muda level, there will be a widespread water crisis in southern Kedah and Penang,” he said.
Rainmaker: Cloud-seeding operations were conducted in Kedah and Perlis yesterday. The operations were conducted to help increase water levels at the reservoirs in those two states. — Photo taken from Met Malaysia’s Facebook page.
Among several countermeasures taken by the PBAPP is drawing down on the strategic reserves of the 73.5 billion-litre Mengkuang Lake to complement raw water abstraction from Sungai Muda.The effective capacity of the Mengkuang Lake is 72.8%, enough to support Penang’s raw water needs until July.
Jaseni added that the PBAPP was only able to draw down a maximum of 300 MLD from the Mengkuang Lake while Penang’s average daily consumption of treated water was 843 MLD in 2019.
“As such, although we have counter-measures in the form of the Mengkuang Lake, we are still highly dependent on raw water from Sungai Muda on a daily basis,” he said.
Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer, Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa, called for urgent action to be taken by Kedah and the Federal Government to ensure there would be no water rationing in Penang and Kedah.
“The volume of the 160-billion-litre-Muda Lake was only 7.44% on Feb 13 and as such the level of Sungai Muda is highly dependent on only the other reservoir, the 120 billion-litre Beris Lake,” he said yesterday.
“The volume of this lake was reported to be 69.87% on Feb 6 and we have not been able to obtain more recent readings for the Beris Lake.”
Jaseni said that to sustain the Sungai Muda river level, the Beris Lake is releasing about 864 million litres of water per day (MLD).
“The Sungai Muda level at Penang’s Lahar Tiang intake was at the alert level of 1.77m, lower than the normal level of 2.0m.
“If the Beris Lake does not have sufficient water to release and sustain the Sungai Muda level, there will be a widespread water crisis in southern Kedah and Penang,” he said.
Rainmaker: Cloud-seeding operations were conducted in Kedah and Perlis yesterday. The operations were conducted to help increase water levels at the reservoirs in those two states. — Photo taken from Met Malaysia’s Facebook page.Among several countermeasures taken by the PBAPP is drawing down on the strategic reserves of the 73.5 billion-litre Mengkuang Lake to complement raw water abstraction from Sungai Muda.The effective capacity of the Mengkuang Lake is 72.8%, enough to support Penang’s raw water needs until July.
Jaseni added that the PBAPP was only able to draw down a maximum of 300 MLD from the Mengkuang Lake while Penang’s average daily consumption of treated water was 843 MLD in 2019.
“As such, although we have counter-measures in the form of the Mengkuang Lake, we are still highly dependent on raw water from Sungai Muda on a daily basis,” he said.
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