Parched grounds: The Air Itam reservoir experiencing plummeting water levels due to dry spell and drought in recent months. — Bernama
No rainfall over Penang dams despite operations
GEORGE TOWN: The cloud-seeding operations above the catchment areas of the Air Itam and Teluk Bahang reservoirs did not yield any rainfall, according to the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP).
“We did not record any rainfall on Feb 27 and 28,” said PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan in a statement yesterday.
He said among the likely factors are unfavourable atmospheric and cloud conditions.“Cloud seeding usually induces more rainfall if there are clouds at a specific altitude.
If there are no clouds or not enough clouds, or if the temperature is too high for water drops to form in the clouds and fall, cloud seeding may not induce any rain.
“As such, PBAPP hopes that the National Disaster Management Agency will commission the Air Force to conduct additional cloud seeding operations in Penang next month,” he added.
Pathmanathan said under the Air Itam Dam Action Plan 2024, PBAPP has reduced daily drawdowns from the Air Itam reservoir by 75%. The treated water output of the Air Itam water treatment plant (WTP) has also dropped by 66%, he added.
“To ensure water supply sufficiency in Air Itam, PBAPP is pumping 33 million litres of treated water per day from the Sungai Dua WTP in Seberang Perai into the service area of the Air Itam WTP,” he said.
Pathmanathan urged the 30,000 consumers served by the Air Itam catchment to consume water prudently.
