Time for Sanusi to focus on fixing water woes of Kedahans once and for all, stop chasing cheap publicity
AS RECENTLY as last week, Kedah’s Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor denied allegations that the so-called water crisis that hit the state has affected some one million consumers among Kedah’s 2.2 million population during the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri season.
This came about as Kubang Rotan state assemblyman Asmirul Anuar Aris had earlier slammed the state’s water concessionaire Syarikat Air Darul Aman (SADA) for failure to either mobilise its water tankers to dispatch water supply on time or to adhere to the proper distribution guidelines.
“Don’t be a champion on the rostrum by finding fault with the Federal government but unable to resolve water woes in your own state,” chided the Amanah representative. “I am requesting once again for the Kedah MB who is also the SADA chairman to be the overall champion for the solution to the water problem in Kedah, not just as good orator.”
Added Kedah UMNO information chief Datuk Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin:
“The crux of the matter is that water disruption in the state is not so much the outcome of weather changes which result in a decrease in the quantity of water resources but more so due to Sanusi who has deviated from the people’s problems to fulfil his own popularity agenda by wanting to be a hero as well as to gain sympathy.”
Against such backdrop a total of 252,000 user accounts in Kuala Muda, Kulim and parts of Baling are experiencing unscheduled water supply disruption since 5am yesterday (May 14) due to a sudden drop in river level which was later traced to a sensor failure that opened a floodgate, thus letting “super large quantities” of water from Sungai Muda to flow out to the sea.
This has eventually resulted in the operation of the Sungai Petani/Pinang Tunggal and the Kulim Hi-Tech water treatment plants being suspended until the river level could stabilise.
Aside from Kedahans, thousands of consumers in Seberang Perai’s three districts and in southern parts of Penang island will also be affected.
With the Sungai Muda water level having dropped by half to 1m instead of the normal 2m, Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBA) CEO K. Pathmanathan said the corporation could not abstract raw water for treatment. The river is the main source of raw water for Penang.
Thankfully, the river level of Sungai Muda has risen up to 1.46m at the Lahar Tiang Intake inlet point as at 11pm last night (May 14), according to PBA which further noted that it is in the midst of optimising raw water abstraction at the Lahar Tiang Intake by pumping raw water to the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP).
“Raw water is also being drawn down from the Expanded Mengkuang Dam for channelling to the WTP. Meanwhile, treated water production at the Sungai Dua WTP has reached 90%,” shared Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in his Buletin Mutiara.
“PBA is pumping as much treated water as possible from the Sungai Dua WTP to supply areas in Seberang Perai and on Penang Island. PBA will continue to update water consumers on the latest developments tomorrow morning.” – May 15, 2023
It was really a huge amount of water that was let go into the sea, resulting in a major and rapid fall in the upstream river water level.
ReplyDeleteIf this had happened in an arid climate, the water loss would have been irrecoverable.
As it is, the loss during the current dry season is significant, and will take time to recover the river's normal water level.