GEORGE TOWN: Water consumers in the state have again been told to reduce their consumption by 10 per cent until the anticipated rainy season begins in September.
From January to last month, the average water consumption in Penang was 887 million litres per day (MLD), compared to the corresponding period last year, of 877 MLD.
Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said water consumption in Penang had increased by an average of 10 MLD year-on-year. (10 MLD refers to a volume of water that may fill 6,667 big 1.5L drinking water bottles every day).
"PBAPP data indicates that a 10 per cent reduction in domestic consumption in Penang this yer will translate into a water saving of 50 MLD.
"If every Penang domestic water consumer can reduce water consumption by 10 per cent, we will be in a much better position to ensure that there is enough water supply until the rains arrive in September.
"As such, I would like to appeal to Penang domestic consumers to kindly use less water at home now. Please play your role to minimise the risk of a water crisis in our state this year," he said today.
Elaborating, Pathmanathan said low rainfall since January had impacted water supply operations in Penang in the following ways:
* Low effective capacities of the Air Itam Dam (41.1 per cent) and Teluk Bahang Dam (31.9 per cent) yesterday;
* Lower treated water production at the Waterfall Water Treatment Plant (WTP) due to lack of raw water from the water catchment area (WCA) of the PenangWaterfall;
* Lower treated water production at the Sungai Pinang WTP due to lack of raw water from the Titi Kerawang WCA; and
* Low Sungai Muda river levels (below the 2.0m mark) at Penang's Lahar Tiang Intake for 16 consecutive days since July 11.
Pathmanathan said the effective capacity of the Muda Dam that was built to release water into Sungai Muda plummeted to 9.9 per cent on Thursday.
He said, fortunately, the effective capacity of the Beris Dam (Kedah) was at 60.2 per cent and Kedah was releasing water into Sungai Muda.
"PBAPP is drawing down on the reserves of the Expanded Mengkuang Dam (EMD) daily to supplement raw water abstraction from Sungai Muda.
"PBAPP must abstract sufficient raw water from Sungai Muda (and draw down water from the EMD) to sustain optimal water production operations at the Sungai Dua WTP, Penang's most important WTP.
"Treated water from the Sungai Dua WTP is supplied to 465,000 water consumers in Seberang Prai and the southwest district on Penang island.
"As a result, there are sporadic and intermittent water supply issues in some neighbourhoods on Penang island," he added, noting that as announced yesterday, PBAPP was activating its crisis management plan to minimise the impact of the low rainfall issues.
As at December last year, there were 593,255 registered domestic water consumers in Penang who accounted for 57.4 per cent of the total volume of water consumed.
Penang's per capita domestic consumption was 284 litres/capita/day (LCD) in 2023, while the national average was 237 LCD in 2022.
In Singapore, the per capita domestic consumption stood at 141 LCD in 2023.
On average, a Penangite used about 19.8 per cent more water at home in 2023 than the national average; and about 101.4 per cent more water than a Singaporean.