Free for everybody: Halipah showing the water she got from the well on her property in Teluk Kumbar, near George Town, Penang. — Bernama
GEORGE TOWN: Several residents in the Teluk Kumbar area near here have welcomed the public to get water from their wells if they are affected by the four-day scheduled water supply disruption in Penang starting Jan 10.
A resident, Suria Nawawi, 58, said the well at her house, which is over 40 years old, has never run dry and often becomes a source of water for the people during water supply disruptions in the area.“We are not so worried about the water shortage (from Jan 10 to 14) because we have a well here.
“This is not only for our family’s use but also for the villagers who come to take water if there is a water supply disruption.
“But for drinking water, I store it because the well water is more suitable for bathing and not very suitable for cooking and drinking.
“During the water supply disruption on Dec 18 last year (because of the pipe leakage in Sungai Perai), many came to get water from this well.
“Some came to take water from the well at three to four in the morning, and we allowed them to do so.
“Moreover, the well water is always available, and the more that is taken, the more it accumulates. So during water supply disruption, anyone who wants to get water can come here,” she told Bernama.
Previously, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) announced that about 590,000 users, including non-domestic ones, will experience scheduled water disruption for 96 hours from 6am on Jan 10 to 6am on Jan 14.
This is to enable the replacement of two valves at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant and other related work at 22 locations throughout Penang.
However, PBAPP expects at least 101 areas in the Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) and Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) districts to receive water supply after 48 hours.
It also expects that a total of 157 areas involving the districts of SPT, Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS), Timur Laut and Barat Daya on the island will begin to receive water supply after 72 hours.
Halipah Said, 70, who also has a well on her property, welcomes the public to come directly to her house to get water if they face water supply problems.
Halipah said there will be no charges imposed, adding that she is happy that the well, which is 40 years old and owned by her late father, can contribute water to the residents.
“Even before this, there were people who came to fetch water from the well and this time (water supply disruption), I expect that many people may come too.
“We welcome them ... this is water for everyone’s use and Allah has given it to us to share.
“The water from this well is clear and odourless, but usually, we use it for bathing and washing clothes.
“In the past, before there were water pipes, it was used for drinking and cooking ... the source of this well, which is spring water, is always there,” she said.
Meanwhile, a grocery store owner in Seberang Jaya, Norafizah Mustafa, 41, hopes that the valve replacement work will be carried out according to schedule and completed as soon as possible.
She is grateful that PBAPP has informed about the repair work earlier.
“For works like this, PBAPP informs early so we can store water for use at home and in the shop,” she said.
PBAPP will use 99 tankers to deliver water to affected users due to the scheduled water disruption.
PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan was reported as saying that this is the largest water tanker fleet used in the history of Penang’s water supply, including 27 rented jumbo tanks capable of holding up to 40,000 litres of treated water.
In addition to the tanker fleet, PBAPP is also installing a total of 97 static water tanks to store water for affected users.
These water tanks include rented flexi elephant tanks with a maximum capacity of 24,000 litres per tank.
