Penang is still not at risk of facing a water crisis due to the hot weather from the effects of the El Nino phenomenon, said Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer Jaseni Maidinsa.

He said the current effective capacities of the dams were sufficient to cater to the water supply demand until next month.

He said although the water levels dropped due to relatively less rainfall in the state for the past 30 days, PBAPP was still able to extract about one billion litres of water daily from Sungai Air Muda for treatment at the Sungai Dua water treatment plant.

“The effective capacities of Air Itam and Teluk Bahang Dams are at 75.7 percent and 72.3 percent respectively.

“The Air Itam Dam has enough water supply to last for 74 days while supply at the Teluk Bahang Dam can last 220 days without rain. The water level of Sungai Muda is at 2.41 metres,” he said in a statement in George Town today.

Jaseni assured that PBAPP would be able to provide sufficient and continuous water supply for the whole state until it rained in April.

He said since the fourth quarter of 2015, PBAPP had implemented measures to avoid water rationing during the Super El Nino season, among them optimising storage at Penang dams by reducing water intake to allow for more water storage at the dams, especially during the dry spells.

In addition, he said they also stepped up production at Sungai Dua water treatment plant to increase treated water supply every day.

“Since 2015, this plant has been supplying 900 million litres of treated water daily to meet Penang's water supply demand,” he said.

As such, he urged Penang residents to use water wisely, if possible avoid hoses for cleaning activities and reduce the frequency of washing cars and motorcycles.

- Bernama