GEORGE TOWN: A national body needs to intervene to coordinate the interstate sharing of raw water resources, says Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
He said water needed to be managed by a national body so that it could be shared throughout the country, just like electricity.
“Not every state can generate electricity, especially hydroelectricity, but it can be generated and shared through the national grid for every consumer, similar to telecommunication services.
“The role of the government is to regulate and provide these services to the country.
“All these are important for the growth of the country, and have to be coordinated by a national authority.
“In the area of raw water supply, as a state that requires it, sometimes we try our best, but if it involves transboundary arrangements across states, there could be issues that cannot be resolved by the states.
“This is where a national authority can step in to find a win-win solution,” he told a press conference in Komtar here yesterday.
Chow added that efforts to increase raw water supply and delivery must be complemented with behaviour, mindset, education and awareness for water resources to be used wisely.
“Sometimes people think that electricity is more important and are willing to pay a much higher tariff for it.
“There must be an all-out effort to highlight the importance of water for every citizen to play their role.
“In Kedah, various water concession companies have their experts to advise the state government and various agencies as to what action can be taken.
“It is a continuous process, and we are continuously looking at opportunities to upgrade our services to consumers by improving our treatment capacity and overcoming non-revenue water issues by renewing ageing pipes to reduce leaks and disruptions,” he said.
Responding to claims that Penang’s side of the barrage in Sungai Muda was disused and not upgraded for many years, Chow disagreed that this contributed to the recent bout of raw water disruptions in Penang.
“The barrages were built over different times. The barrage in Penang has a lower level, while the one on Kedah’s side was built much later, and has a higher level.
“It is a situation where the water will flow over the Penang barrage if the level is breached,” he said.
National Water Services Commission (SPAN) chairman Charles Santiago had called for states to manage and share water resources for the well-being of Malaysia as a whole following the barrage failure that cause a water disruption in Penang and Kedah on May 13 and 14.
The disruption happened due to a glitch that left a barrage gate open for 11 hours, causing the Muda River to drain quickly into the sea, lowering the impounded river level severely to the extent that the intake of several water treatment plants in southern Kedah and Penang were unable to draw raw water for treatment.
Santiago said while dams were drying in some states, most of Perak’s dams were full to the point of overflowing, despite the current bout of dry weather in northern peninsula.
Some 800,000 accounts in Penang and Kedah were affected, 600,000 of which were in Penang, he added.
The Kedah-side of the barrage had 14 gates, but only six worked, he said, while the barrage on the Penang side had not been in use (in a locked, upright position) for many years.
During a visit to the site, Santiago said the Kedah side of the barrage was built in the early 2000s, but the Penang barrage was at least 50 years old, and no longer served its purpose as it was lower in height than the Kedah barrage.
