Sungai Bakap residents urge state govt to accept Kedah’s offer for water supply

Sungai Bakap residents urge state govt to accept Kedah’s offer for water supply

NIBONG TEBAL: Residents of sub-districts 5 in Sungai Bakap are urging the state government to accept Kedah's offer to supply water from the Lubuk Buntar Water Treatment Plant (WTP).

South Seberang Perai sub-district 5 Water Issue Action committee chairman Khairul Ahmad Fitri Suhaimi said an immediate solution to the water problem in sub-district 5 should be through negotiations between the Penang and Kedah state governments to obtain clean water from the Lubok Buntar WTP in Kedah which is located only about 16km from the state border.

"The Lubuk Buntar WTP will have a surplus of 10 MLD starting September this year.

"The raw water source for the new Lubok Buntar LRA is also abstracted from the Kerian River," he said during a press conference at Taman Sungai Duri Indah on Saturday (June 29).

Khairul said Lubuk Buntar WTP would be a reliable short-term solution for the affected residents before the new water treatment plant at Kerian Integrated Green Industrial Park (KIGIP) is ready in four to five years.

"We believe that the suction tank projects at Taman Widuri and Taman Wellesley are not functioning consistently and reliably.

"The solution approach used is like a temporary fix, as water reception in these tanks is also inconsistent, whether through pipe network delivery or the use of jumbo tank trucks.

"The pattern of truck deliveries to the suction tanks also appears seasonal, and so far,sub-district 5 has not received proper attention except in the past few days, likely due to the upcoming by-election," he said.

He said several other projects such as two mobile water treatment plants (LRA) in Taman Sungai Duri Indah, Bukit Panchor Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) Plant Project and Compact WTP Sungai Kerian have raised many questions.

He said while waiting for the state government's planned project to be completed, purchasing treated water from the Lubok Buntar WTP is the immediate solution hoped to end the suffering that has lasted for over 6 years.

Meanwhile, state infrastructure and transport committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the state government used to purchase water from Lubuk Buntar WTP.

"This arrangement was stopped by Syarikat Air Darul Aman Sdn Bhd (Sada) in 2020,” he said.

Zairil said the reason given by Sada was that the company did not have enough water for their own needs and could no longer sell to Penang.

Zairil questions Sada chairman Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor's offers and suggests that Sanusi should focus on managing his own issues first.

On June 8, during the launch of Perikatan Nasional's election machinery in Sungai Bakap, Muhammad Sanusi said in his speech that he was offering to sell treated water from Lubuk Buntar WTP to solve Sungai Bakap’s water problem.

Lubuk Buntar WTP is located in the border township of Bandar Baharu, just 16km from the Kedah-Penang state border.