GEORGE TOWN: With enough supply of water from Sungai Perak to meet the demand in Penang, further discussions would be held to look into implementing the long-delayed Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme (SPRWTS).
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said a recent study by the Environment and Water Ministry had found that water from the river is sufficient and the findings would allow all parties to pursue their interests further.
"We have been waiting for the completion of the study to serve as the basis for our discussions.
"Since it has been established that Sungai Perak has sufficient water supply to meet the demands for both northern Perak and Penang, we will pursue the matter further," he told reporters Friday (Dec 2).
Chow added that the state will study the recommendations made in the study.
He was responding to Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad who, on Thursday (Dec 1), said that his administration could not supply raw water to Penang despite a coalition government formed between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) after the 15th General Election (GE15).
Saarani had said that the issue was never restricted to political parties governing the states but a matter of supply capacity from the river, which he claimed was only sufficient for Perak's own use.
Chow added that tapping water from Sungai Perak would not replace Penang's current supply from Sungai Muda but act to complement it as another water source.
The SPRWTS project was proposed by the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) to utilise Penang's second water source in Sungai Perak to meet future water supply needs for Penang and northern Perak.
Penang, through PBAPP, has been trying to source water from Sungai Perak as an alternative raw water resource for the state since 2011.
The project would involve the construction of a water tunnel to channel raw water from Sungai Perak upstream to Sungai Ijok, which would flow to Sungai Kerian.
The raw water would then be extracted from Sungai Kerian, where a water treatment plant would be built on the Penang side of the border.
