Aerial view of Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant in Butterworth. Work to replace two main control valves in the main treated water pipe will take place next month and the disruption is scheduled for Jan 10 to 14, 2024. — Courtesy photo
CM: Measures being taken to help consumers during scheduled supply disruption next month
A TOTAL of 60 static water tanks will be installed in targeted areas in Penang to help consumers during the scheduled water disruption from Jan 10 to 14.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) would also deploy a fleet of 55 water tankers to transport water, according to fixed schedules, to affected folk during that period.
“PBAPP is still seeking the assistance of other state water operators in the peninsula to send more water tankers to Penang.
“Since PBAPP is now planning to recover water supply in stages, the overall deployment plan of the water tankers in Penang will be reconfigured on a day-by-day basis from Jan 10.
“As more and more areas receive water supply, PBAPP will redeploy water tankers to areas without supply,” he said during a press conference at Komtar.
Chow, who is also PBAPP chairman, said he had asked PBAPP to publicise its water tanker and static tank response plan later this month, after PBAPP announced its revised targets for supply recovery in stages.
In responding to public feedback, he said the state government had directed PBAPP to plan and coordinate a faster recovery of water supply services following the scheduled interruption.
He said he had told PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan to do his best to reduce inconveniences to the people and businesses.
“The state government understands that the valve replacement at Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant is major work that must be completed to reduce the risks of a major plant breakdown.
“However, we still want PBAPP to minimise public inconvenience,” he added.
(From right) Chow and Pathmanathan showing a map indicating places that will be affected by the scheduled water disruption, with Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo looking on. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
Chow said the PBAPP team was planning to gradually restore water supply services for the 590,000 affected consumers in stages, in a time frame ranging from 48 hours to 96 hours.
He said the overall goal was to ensure that a majority, or more than 50% of affected consumers got reconnected to water supply within 72 hours.
PBAPP had also been instructed to recover water supply for the big non-domestic consumers in Batu Kawan, Bukit Minyak, Butterworth, Perai, George Town and Bayan Lepas FTZ in the shortest possible time frame.
Pathmanathan said the main challenge for PBAPP was not the valve replacement work but rather, the processes before and after, which had to be done in stages.
He said the flow rate of water during, before and after the replacement works must be properly controlled.
“If not properly handled, the villages around the treatment plant would be flooded.
“The actual valve replacement only takes about eight to 10 hours.
“The process to close the treatment plan is the one that takes hours as it needs to be closed in stages,” he said.
It was reported earlier that the disruption was meant to allow PBAPP to carry out immediate pipe repair work at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant.
The work involves replacing two main control valves measuring 1,200mm in the main treated water pipe within the plant, which had been leaking.
During the same period, various other auxiliary water projects are to be carried out at 22 other locations throughout Penang.
