KUCHING – The government is studying the need to extend aid in the form of grants or loans to Penang for upgrades to main valves at the Sg Dua water treatment plant in Butterworth, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Fadillah, who is also energy transition and public utilities minister, said valve replacement works involving maintenance operations in the state needed to be implemented to prevent further losses due to non-revenue water.
“As we know, many main pipes nationwide are damaged and when we upgrade the pumps for water supply and the like, old pipes burst easily.
“This is among the challenges faced by service providers not only in Penang but also in other states. That is why our focus is on reducing non-revenue water,” he said.
He told reporters this after the launch of the e-Money and Cashless Night Market at Metrocity here tonight.
He said his ministry would continue to monitor and cooperate with state water utilities to ensure water supply systems could be upgraded.
Penang Water Supply Corp, in a statement this morning, said stage two of water supply restoration had started at 6am today with the optimum pumping of treated water from the Sg Dua plant to the island. It is targeting to restore supply to 495,065 consumers by 6am tomorrow.
A total of 590,000 consumer accounts throughout Penang are affected by a four-day scheduled water cut, which began at 6am on Wednesday.
However, at least 101 areas in the Seberang Prai Utara and Seberang Prai Tengah districts are expected to get back their supply after 48 hours while 157 areas in Seberang Prai Tengah, Seberang Prai Selatan as well as the northeast and southwest districts on the island will get theirs after 72 hours. – January 12, 2024