GEORGE TOWN: Long queues of people with pails behind a water tank lorry are becoming a thing of the past as engineers come up with innovative solutions to make dry spells more tolerable.
At Taman Sri Bayu in Bayan Lepas, a container lorry arrived with a steel tank carrying tens of thousands of litres on Saturday (April 26) morning, as over 1.4 million Penangites endure a water cut expected to last up to 60 hours in some areas.
The lorry's crew set up five faucets on the ground attached to the steel tank, allowing residents to fetch water themselves.
Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) announced that the major repair works that started late last night had progressed smoothly and are now 85% complete.
In addition to the crucial upgrade of a 1.35m-diameter pipeline over Sungai Perai, supplying water from Sungai Muda at the northern border of Seberang Prai to 80% of the state, PBAPP is also undertaking 22 other major repairs and upgrades.
The corporation estimates that all the projects will be completed by 4pm on Saturday.
However, the water supply will take time to be fully restored after the pipeline is restarted.
Penangites at the edges of the water grid will need to be patient for up to three days, as trapped air in the pipeline must be released at various points before their taps can flow again.
Eighty water tank lorries are deployed statewide to keep Penangites supplied during this period.
