BUKIT MERTAJAM, May 9 — The RM250 million Taman Mengkuang Water Treatment Plant (LRA) project undertaken by Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP) has now achieved 35 per cent progress.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said physical works on the project began on May 19 last year and have so far progressed smoothly according to schedule, with completion expected on Nov 18.
He said that once completed, the plant will obtain its daily supply from the Expanded Mengkuang Dam (EMD), the largest dam in the state, and will be capable of supplying up to 114 million litres per day (MLD) of treated water to consumers, particularly in the Seberang Perai Tengah district.
“This new plant is being built beside the EMD, which previously served as a strategic dam where water was stored for use during emergencies involving the Sungai Dua LRA.
“However, as water demand continues to rise, we are implementing the Water Contingency Plan 2030 (WCP2030), primarily aimed at utilising all available raw water sources in Penang, and the EMD is one such source that we can tap into through this project, alongside other initiatives under the WCP2030,” he told reporters after a site visit to inspect the progress of the project here today.
Also present were PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan and state Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari.
Elaborating further, Chow, who is also PBAPP chairman, said that in tandem with the water treatment plant project, two main pipelines are also being constructed to enable the distribution of treated water to consumers in the Seberang Perai Tengah, particularly in Bukit Mertajam and Tasek, while ensuring sufficient water supply and helping to optimise the operation of water pumps along the route, including in Permatang Tinggi, to channel supply to the southern areas of the state.
Meanwhile, Pathmanathan said the Taman Mengkuang LRA is the first of four new treatment plants being developed by PBAPP for Penang under Phase 2 of the WCP2030, with the remaining three plants set to utilise water sources from Sungai Kerian, Sungai Perai and Sungai Muda, and scheduled for completion by 2030.
“Overall, Phase 2 will increase PBAPP’s water treatment capacity in Seberang Perai by 478 MLD. As such, Seberang Perai will become less dependent on treated water supply from the Sungai Dua LRA.
“This will enable PBAPP to channel more treated water from Sungai Dua to Penang Island through dedicated pipelines and the Third Penang Undersea Twin Pipeline Project (PTSP-3),” he said.
Once operational, the Taman Mengkuang LRA will transform the role of the EMD from a strategic dry-season dam into a dual-function dam, serving not only as a source of water supply for the plant to produce more treated water, but also as a backup dam for Penang during dry seasons and other emergency situations involving Sungai Muda.
He said the main rationale behind the change in the EMD’s role is to optimise existing raw water resources to ensure sufficient water supply through 2030. — Bernama