New RM250m Mengkuang Dam water plant to boost daily supply and meet Penang's growing demand by 2030
BUKIT MERTAJAM, May 24 — Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP) is building a RM250 million Water Treatment Plant (WTP) at the Mengkuang Dam here, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
He said the proposed project, which will be about 550 metres from the Expanded Mengkuang Dam (EMD), when completed in November next year, is capable of supplying a maximum of 114 million litres per day (MLD) of treated water to consumers, particularly in the Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) district.
The Taman Mengkuang WTP project, expected to take 18 months to complete, will draw daily water supply from the EMD, which is the largest dam in the state, he said.
'So far, the EMD has served as a strategic water storage dam, releasing water only during emergencies when the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is unable to abstract sufficient water from Sungai Muda.
'However, starting November 2026, EMD will transition into a dual-purpose dam. Once fully operational, it will release raw water daily to support the Taman Mengkuang WTP, while continuing to serve as an emergency backup source for the Sungai Dua WTP under abnormal conditions,' he added.
Chow, who is PBAPP chairman, told reporters this after opening the groundbreaking ceremony for the Taman Mengkuang WTP Project here today.
He said the construction of the new WTP was among the proactive measures taken by the state government to address the growing water demand, as Penang's water consumption has risen from 813 million litres per day (JLH) in 2014 to 870 JLH in 2024, with projections indicating it will further increase to 1,103 JLH by 2030.
Meanwhile, PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan said the project includes the construction of a 114-JLH water treatment module, a backwash pump house, a chemical dosing building and a treated water tank.
In addition, he said, it also involves the construction of a sludge treatment building, a cleaning pump and a chemical waste storage pond, a storage pond and an administration building equipped with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.
'This contract also includes the installation of a 1,200-millimetre (mm) diameter raw water discharge pipe from the dam and a 900mm-diametre treated water production pipe for connection to the existing treated water supply line.
'It also involves all civil, structural, mechanical and electrical works,' he said.
According to Pathmanathan, currently, most of the treated water supply at SPT is drawn from the Sungai Dua WWTP in Seberang Perai Utara (SPU), but this dependence is expected to decrease when the Taman Mengkuang WWTP begins operating.
He said the new LRA would not only strengthen the water supply in SPT but also provide indirect benefits to consumers in SPU and South Seberang Perai (SPS).
He said the Taman Mengkuang LRA is the third project under the Water Contingency Plan 2030 (WCP 2030), and there are five more projects under the plan that need to be completed before 2030. — Bernama
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