GEORGE TOWN: Penang is still awaiting Perak's response on the Sungai Perak water transfer scheme.
In November last year, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow had told the state legislative assembly that there was no need for Penang to have a water treatment plant on its side for the Sungai Perak water transfer scheme as the state would be getting treated water from Perak.
Asked about the progress today, Chow said Perak would need to submit its application to start or be ready to start with the project as soon as possible.
"Until then, we can only wait," he said briefly.
Perak had on principle agreed to provide treated water to Penang after discussions on the project dragged on for many years.
Penang would only need to build its own treatment plant if Perak were to decide to provide raw water instead of treated water.
Several rounds of talks were held between both states for the past 12 years with regard to the implementation of the Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme (SPRWTS).
It was reported previously that the SPRWTS, part of the Penang Water Supply Initiative 2050 (PWSI 2050) to mitigate Penang's raw water risks until 2030, was proposed following an independent masterplan study commissioned by the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) in 2009.
According to PBAPP, Sungai Perak is the best option as its raw water resource is presently underutilised.
As such, the Penang government and the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) had sought to tap Sungai Perak as the second or alternative raw water resource for the state since 2011.