GEORGE TOWN: The water level at the Air Itam and Teluk Bahang dams will last for about 100 days if the prolonged drought and excessive use by the people continue.
Penang Water Supply Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa said it was doing all it could to ensure the dam reserves could last until April, until the rains arrived.
“Rest assured, the water supply will be adequate for the Chinese New Year celebration.
“We just want to remind people to use less water to ensure that the existing capacities can last until April,” he told the New Straits Times.
Penang had been placed on high alert after recording the worst dam water levels in the state’s history.
The water level at the Air Itam dam was at 61.5 per cent yesterday, compared with 61.1 per cent on Wednesday.
The water level at the Teluk Bahang dam dropped to 39 per cent yesterday from 39.1 per cent on Wednesday.
The main cause of the low water level was the abnormally low rainfall over the past four months due to climate change.
Jaseni said although the water level at the Teluk Bahang dam was at 39 per cent, its capacity was seven times that of the Air Itam dam.
“So we are looking at the volume stored in the dams.”
The Teluk Bahang dam is the largest reservoir on Penang island.
In 2016, the water level at the Teluk Bahang dam reached a new low of about 46 per cent due to the El Nino phenomenon.
In March last year, it was reported that the water level at the Air Itam dam could last for only 49 days due to the prolonged drought.
The dam serves about 200,000 people in Air Itam, Paya Terubong and Jalan Masjid Negeri.
Jaseni said cloud seeding would be conducted only when the dams reached a critical level of below 30 per cent.
“For now, we will rely less on the dams and optimise the drawing of water from Sungai Muda on the mainland.”
Penang is the only state that has not carried out water rationing.