Penang: Consumers in Penang have been urged to use water wisely this month following a hot and dry start to the year, compounded by low rainfall and heavy irrigation activities along Sungai Muda.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan reported that the rainfall recorded at the Air Itam Dam water catchment area (WCA) from January 1 to February 4 was only 17.5 millimetres, while the Teluk Bahang Dam WCA recorded just 5.5 millimetres over the same period. The Sungai Muda water level at the Lahar Tiang Intake in Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) fell below the critical 2.0-metre mark for 19 consecutive days in January and remained below that level from February 1 to 4.

'There were days in January wherein PBAPP could not abstract optimal volumes of raw water from the river to fully support treated water production operations at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP). Sungai Dua WTP produced about 85 per cent of Penang's total treated water volume of 1,208 million litres per day (MLD) in 2025,' Pathmanathan stated.

Pathmanathan also indicated that large-scale irrigation drawdowns from Sungai Muda since January 19 by the Muda River Basin Management (PLSM) for padi cultivation had further affected river levels. In Kedah, the water level at Beris Dam reportedly fell by 12.65 per cent, while Muda Dam declined sharply by 42.94 per cent between January 1 and February 4.

He noted that the Penang Water Regulatory Body (BKSA) had requested PBAPP to maintain sufficient downstream flow from the Lahar Tiang Intake to support irrigation activities in Penang, a request that PBAPP had complied with since January 27. To ensure a continuous water supply, PBAPP implemented several engineering measures, including strategic drawdowns from the Expanded Mengkuang Dam (EMD), which ensured there was no shortfall of raw water that could have affected daily treated water production at the Sungai Dua WTP.

PBAPP also highlighted its Double Dam Defence on Penang Island programme, under which an average of 407 MLD of treated water from Sungai Dua was pumped to the island in January. In addition, Pathmanathan mentioned that drawdowns from the Air Itam and Teluk Bahang dams had been minimised since January 1 to preserve their effective capacities amid increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns linked to climate change.

As of February 4, the effective capacity of the Air Itam Dam stood at 89.9 per cent, Teluk Bahang Dam at 95.7 per cent, and the Expanded Mengkuang Dam at 89.9 per cent.