Crucial resource: Juru Volunteer Fire Brigade members filling up tanks to be distributed during the water cut at their centre at Jalan Sebelas in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
BUTTERWORTH: With a major water supply disruption set to take place in Penang from Jan 10-14, non-urgent surgeries will be rescheduled at two affected public hospitals.
Penang health committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said the two hospitals – the Seberang Jaya and Kepala Batas Hospitals on the mainland – would only see urgent surgeries being performed during the water cut period.
“As for the non-urgent ones, they will be rescheduled to before or after that (water supply disruption) period,” he said when contacted.
In Penang, only three public hospitals have the facilities to carry out operations.
Besides the two on the mainland, the third one is Penang Hospital, which will be spared from the disruption as it draws water from the Ayer Itam dam.
The other three public hospitals – the Bukit Mertajam and Sungai Bakap Hospitals on the mainland and Balik Pulau Hospital on the island – will also experience a water cut during that period.
Gooi said although the affected hospitals were equipped with water tanks, tankers would still be deployed in the event of an emergency.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) was prepared with its contingency plans to minimise disruption at both hospitals.
He said PBAPP would deploy eight lorry tankers to affected hospitals and dialysis centres in the state.
He added that the company would also rent 10 units of jumbo water tankers, each with 20,0000 to 30,000 litres of capacity, to refill water in all static tanks placed at public locations.
“PBAPP will also roll out 15 static tanks each at several public locations in the state. Each tank has a capacity of 10,000 litres,” he told a press conference at the Juru Volunteer Fire Brigade station here yesterday.
Chow said 34 water tankers of voluntary firefighters in Penang and one from Perak would also help distribute water to affected consumers during that time.
He said Bukit Tengah assemblyman Gooi Hsiao-Leung and his team had also arranged 11 large plastic tanks for public distribution in his constituency.
He said the Juru voluntary fire brigade would replenish the water in these tanks using four water tankers.
Chow said his Batu Kawan service centre would also place nine 500-gallon poly tanks at low-cost and low- and medium-cost housing and flats in Taman Bayu Mutiara, Taman Limau Manis, Taman Belimbing, Taman Pelangi, Taman Sireh, Taman Nagasari, Juru Heights, and Taman Seri Delima.
In addition, he will also allocate 28 units of 500-gallon poly tanks in Bukit Tambun and 20 units in Perai state constituencies.
“Elected representatives in other parliamentary and state constituencies are also making similar arrangements,” he said.
Next Wednesday, almost 600,000 consumers will be affected by the scheduled four-day water cut till Jan 14.
The supply disruption is meant for valve replacement work at the Sungai Dua water treatment plant and repair work at several locations along the main pipeline.
Chow said the work to replace the two major pipes was challenging and hoped the public could understand the need to do so.
