Penang dams have water until June

Penang dams have water to last only until June, if the federal government does not take immediate measures to mitigate the Super El Nino phenomenon, Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) CEO Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa said.

He said without the much-needed rainfall from cloud-seeding now, people in Perlis, Kedah and Penang might face a water shortage before the end of the Super El Nino season which will last until June.

"The problem with water supply in Penang is that more than 80 percent come from Sungai Muda. We just got information that the Beris dam and Muda dam storage capacities are below 50 percent.

"Now, from our projection, whatever is taken from the river, it can last only for about 30 days. So, we want to raise this issue and confirm with Kedah, whether Muda dam and Beris dam will last until June.

"Otherwise, the entire northern region will face serious water crisis," he told reporters after visiting the Penang Waterfall at Botanical Garden here Friday.

Jaseni said the Muda dam supplied to 14 water treatment plants and six irrigation intake points for Kedah, two irrigation intake points for Penang and one water intake point in Lahar Tiang.

He said 75 percent of water would be used for irrigation and the rest for drinking water supply.

Therefore, he urged the federal government to prioritise and make water supply more important than irrigation to meet the demand.

Jaseni also urged the government to implement massive cloud-seeding now to prevent water shortage in the northern region.