SINGAPORE: Residents in Malaysia’s Penang state have been urged to cut down on their water usage amid growing concerns about potential shortages due to the low levels of water at its dams.
Among a plethora of water-saving tips that have been shared include asking people to reduce the number of times they wash their cars, to switching to watering cans when tending to their plants.
The Penang Water Supply Corporation – a state-owned firm that is responsible for water supply services there – said that the effective capacity of dams in Air Hitam and Teluk Bahang now stands at 27.6 per cent and 25.2 per cent respectively.
Its chief executive officer K Pathmanathan on Tuesday (Aug 20) said that the low effective capacities of both dams in the state constituted a threat to the water supply of close to 75,000 consumer accounts, The Star reported.
“This phenomenon is not only affecting dams in Penang. It is also affecting key dams in the neighbouring states of Kedah and Perak,” Mr Pathmanathan said, adding that the water levels at the two dams in the state are low due to the “abnormally dry weather” since the last quarter of 2023.
He added: “Despite some rainfall from Aug 1 to 10, it did not increase the dams’ capacity due to the higher daily water consumption.”
He further noted that the two dams were designed and built to be refilled by rainwater and cannot be refilled by any other means.
And although Mr Pathmanathan has called on the public to reduce their water usage, he said that there was “no immediate threat to water supply services for about 66.7 per cent of Penang’s water consumers”.
This is because they are served by the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant that extracts water from the Sungai Muda.
“The river level of Sungai Muda is relatively ‘healthy’ for now,” said Mr Pathmanathan.
Last week, Malaysia’s National Water Services Commission (SPAN) urged states to find new water resources in response to droughts that were likely triggered by climate change.
Its chairman Charles Santiago said that thus far, states in the country have been reluctant to adopt comprehensive changes to combat the effects of drought due mainly to cost concerns, The Vibes reported.
“Prolonged droughts and water supply disruptions will become common occurrences because climate change is here to stay. There are no two ways about it,” Mr Santiago was quoted as saying by the news portal.
He further warned the various state governments in Malaysia that they need to understand that water supply in the country may not be as reliable as before.
Mr Santiago’s comments came on the back of a statement by Kedah’s Chief Minister Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor that the northern state was relying on God to bring rain to restore the water levels at the three dams there.
