Penang CM reiterates call for establishment of Ulu Muda River Basin Authority to manage water resources

Penang CM reiterates call for establishment of Ulu Muda River Basin Authority to manage water resources



Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government has reiterated its call for the federal government to consider setting up the Ulu Muda River Basin Authority (LLUM) so that there is an agency to control and manage water resources in Ulu Muda, Kedah. — Bernama pic

Monday, 22 Jan 2024 9:08 PM MYT


GEORGE TOWN, Jan 22 — The Penang government has reiterated its call for the federal government to consider setting up the Ulu Muda River Basin Authority (LLUM) so that there is an agency to control and manage water resources in Ulu Muda, Kedah.


Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the Penang government and Penang Water Supply Corporation Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) had conveyed this proposal to the federal government several times before.

He said it is vital to professionally manage the water catchment area in Ulu Muda because it supplies raw water to three states, namely Perlis, Kedah and Penang.


“That is why the state government and PBAPP have been calling for the establishment of LLUM for the past few years.


“This will also ensure that the water catchment area can be protected from activities that can affect the ecosystem of the water basin. So the federal government needs to intervene because we have raised this matter many times before the minister concerned,” he told reporters here today.

Chow said this after the launch of the Planting a Million Trees in a Day programme in conjunction with World Earth Day on April 22 by Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak at Anjung Seri Mutiara here today.

He said this when asked to comment on environmental non-governmental organisation Rimba Watch’s allegation that logging activities in the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve area had created sedimentation problems in Tasik Muda, the main source of water for consumers in Penang and Kedah.

He said if LLUM was established, among the actions that could be taken is to ban logging activities in the area which can undermine the interests of certain states. — Bernama