Penang gets its raw water from Sungai Muda, which it shares with Kedah, but a water resources professor has suggested looking for water in the sea as a long-term solution. (PBA pic)
GEORGE TOWN: Penang’s answer to meeting water supply demands in the decades to come lies in the sea, not neighbouring states, a water expert said.
Chan Ngai Weng, a water resources professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said although the state had plans to ramp up water from land, the sea was the next frontier.
“Penang needs to move fast on securing desalinated water for our water security and safety. We need to chart our destiny with our own hands and not rely or depend on others. We have no choice but to look to the sea,” Chan told FMT.
Recently, Perak menteri besar Saarani Mohamad shot down Penang’s proposed water purchase, saying Perak residents needed the water. The previous Perak government had agreed to transfer water to Penang, but in treated form at 70 sen per 1,000 litres.
GEORGE TOWN: Penang’s answer to meeting water supply demands in the decades to come lies in the sea, not neighbouring states, a water expert said.
Chan Ngai Weng, a water resources professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said although the state had plans to ramp up water from land, the sea was the next frontier.
“Penang needs to move fast on securing desalinated water for our water security and safety. We need to chart our destiny with our own hands and not rely or depend on others. We have no choice but to look to the sea,” Chan told FMT.
Recently, Perak menteri besar Saarani Mohamad shot down Penang’s proposed water purchase, saying Perak residents needed the water. The previous Perak government had agreed to transfer water to Penang, but in treated form at 70 sen per 1,000 litres.
Chan Ngai Weng.
Penang’s water use remains the highest in the country, with a per capita use of 305 litres per day last year, beating the national average of 226.
Overall, the state used 860 million litres a day (MLD) last year, with demand expected to rise nearly two-fold to 1,532 MLD in 2030, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) said.
Chan said water transfers from other states might not be feasible in the long run, as respective states had their own water needs, and fixing future water prices could be problematic.
He said there was also the prospect of a clash of political ideologies as different parties might be governing the two states.
He said desalination had been carried out in many countries and Penang should look to Singapore as an example.
The Penang government had proposed building a desalination plant previously but it is not a top priority as it is costly.
Chan said that besides desalination, Penang should urgently move its contingency plan for water security ahead of schedule.
The contingency plan includes increasing the capacities of existing water treatment plants (WTPs), building new WTPs, and extracting water from Sungai Perai.
The projects are scheduled to be completed by 2028, according to PBAPP.
Chan said the 1.77 million Penangites must be trained to save water, and major users such as hotels and factories must be made to set up recycling plants, re-use their air-conditioning water, and set up rain harvesting plants.
“Water tariffs should at least be at cost-recovery level,” he said. “Water tariff subsidies should be removed. Merely increasing water supply is useless if consumers keep wasting water. Records show that water demands increase much faster than supply.”
Penang’s water use remains the highest in the country, with a per capita use of 305 litres per day last year, beating the national average of 226.
Overall, the state used 860 million litres a day (MLD) last year, with demand expected to rise nearly two-fold to 1,532 MLD in 2030, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) said.
Chan said water transfers from other states might not be feasible in the long run, as respective states had their own water needs, and fixing future water prices could be problematic.
He said there was also the prospect of a clash of political ideologies as different parties might be governing the two states.
He said desalination had been carried out in many countries and Penang should look to Singapore as an example.
The Penang government had proposed building a desalination plant previously but it is not a top priority as it is costly.
Chan said that besides desalination, Penang should urgently move its contingency plan for water security ahead of schedule.
The contingency plan includes increasing the capacities of existing water treatment plants (WTPs), building new WTPs, and extracting water from Sungai Perai.
The projects are scheduled to be completed by 2028, according to PBAPP.
Chan said the 1.77 million Penangites must be trained to save water, and major users such as hotels and factories must be made to set up recycling plants, re-use their air-conditioning water, and set up rain harvesting plants.
“Water tariffs should at least be at cost-recovery level,” he said. “Water tariff subsidies should be removed. Merely increasing water supply is useless if consumers keep wasting water. Records show that water demands increase much faster than supply.”
As I stated previously, look towards Singapore and learn.
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