GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) has urged consumers to continue conserving water.
Its chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said although dam levels on the island are up, they are not full.
"Rainfall in the last two and half months has increased the effective capacities of the Air Itam Dam and Teluk Bahang Dam.
"However, their raw water storage has not reached the optimal level in preparation for the next dry season.
"Penang consumers should use water wisely," he said in a statement on Friday (Nov 15).
As of Thursday (Nov 14), the effective capacity of the Air Itam Dam stands at 81.5% and Teluk Bahang, at 51.2%.
Pathmanathan said the Teluk Bahang Dam is bigger and so significantly more rain is needed to refill it to a higher level.
"The Teluk Bahang Dam’s current effective capacity is not (at a safe level) yet," he said.
For the Expanded Mengkuang Dam (EMD), Pathmanathan said there are no significant issues to report regarding its 86,400 billion litre capacity because it is not a daily dam.
"For now, the EMD functions primarily as a strategic drought reserve.
"Its reserves are only drawn down when PBAPP cannot abstract sufficient water from Sungai Muda.
"Moreover, this dam is less dependent on rainfall in its water catchment area.
"The EMD is primarily refilled by a pumped storage method, based on the abstraction of raw water from Sungai Kulim in Penang during the wet season," he said.
