Penang narrowly avoided a potential water supply disruption after the Sungai Muda river level dropped to a dangerous 1.27m at the Lahar Tiang intake on 23 April 2026.
The sharp decline, recorded at approximately 4.30pm, fell well below the safe threshold of 2.0m, forcing the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) to immediately reduce raw water abstraction from 1,300 million litres per day (MLD) to about 1,000 MLD – a cut of roughly 30 per cent.
PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan said the corporation activated the Sungai Muda Contingency Plan and released about 300 MLD from the Expanded Mengkuang Dam (EMD) to sustain operations at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP).
The Sungai Dua facility, Penang’s largest and most critical water treatment plant, produces an average of 1,100 MLD of treated water and supplies approximately 465,000 consumers across all five districts in the state.
Pathmanathan said the swift activation of the contingency plan had so far prevented supply disruptions in Seberang Perai Utara, Seberang Perai Tengah, Seberang Perai Selatan, as well as the northeast and southwest districts on the island.
He attributed the sudden drop in river levels to upstream irrigation withdrawals in Kedah, adding that PBAPP had not received prior notification.
As of 23 April, the Beris Dam – which feeds the Sungai Muda system – stood at 49.6 per cent capacity with a release rate of 864 MLD. At that level, reserves are projected to last approximately 70 days before reaching the critical 20 per cent threshold.
Meanwhile, the Muda Dam’s storage has fallen to 9.5 per cent and is not expected to contribute further releases in the immediate term.
Pathmanathan urged the National Water Services Commission and the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry to intervene urgently in managing the Sungai Muda system.
“The security of water supply for Penang and Kedah must take precedence over irrigation needs under current conditions,” he said.
He warned that without significant rainfall to replenish dam levels, the situation could deteriorate further, as Sungai Muda remains Penang’s sole major raw water source.
“Any sustained inability to abstract sufficient water from the river could trigger a statewide disruption affecting 465,000 consumers, including industrial users and the tourism sector,” he said.
While PBAPP will continue maximising abstraction from Sungai Muda and supplementing supply from the EMD, Pathmanathan cautioned that the dam’s maximum drawdown capacity was limited to 600 MLD.
“The Sungai Dua plant requires about 1,300 MLD of raw water daily. Our mitigation measures are therefore finite,” he said.
He reiterated his call for immediate action to curb upstream irrigation withdrawals until rainfall restores reservoir levels, stressing that safeguarding continuous water supply must remain the top priority.
Source: NST
