Hot weather: LSANK controls Kedah dam water release to ensure adequate raw water supply

ALOR SETAR: Any release of dam water is controlled by the Kedah State Water Resources Board (LSANK) to stabilise the operation of Syarikat Air Darul Aman’s (Sada) water treatment plant (WTP) intake, the state legislative assembly was told yesterday.

State Public Works, Natural Resources, Water Supply, Water Resources, and Environment Committee chairman Mohamad Yusoff Zakaria said the control of water release is aimed at ensuring an adequate supply of raw water resources if the hot weather persists.

“Kedah has six main dams, namely Pedu, Muda, Ahning, Beris, Bukit Malut, and Padang Saga, that supply raw water to the domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors, and as of now, the water supply remains stable.

“LSANK has applied to the Ministry of Energy Transition and Public Utilities for the proposed development of riverside water catchment (TAPS), with 27 potential sites identified in Kedah,” he said.

He said this in response to a query during the assembly meeting from Teh Swee Leong (PH-Kota Darul Aman), who had asked about the state government’s measures to ensure an adequate supply of raw water resources in Kedah amidst the ongoing hot weather conditions.

Mohamad Yusoff said that although approval has been granted for the development of 27 TAPS sites, which span over 1,558,960 square metres and can accommodate 28.03 million cubic metres of water, construction has not yet commenced.

“Apart from that, the Water Supply Division (BBA) has proposed upgrading the Padang Saga Dam, constructing the Padang Saga TAPS, and building an underground dam in Langkawi to ensure sufficient water resources,” he said.

In response to Teh’s supplementary question regarding Sada’s ability to meet water demand during the upcoming Ramadan month and Aidilfitri, Mohamad Yusoff assured that despite the high cost of water delivery, both the state government and Sada are committed to ensuring continuous water supply for consumers.

“Sada has provided 91 tankers for water distribution to users. Although the water supply at the reservoir is adequate, it will take until the completion of the five WTPs under construction by 2025 to fully resolve the state’s water issues,” he said.

In the meantime, Mohamad Yusoff said the prevailing hot weather has resulted in around 8,000 accounts being affected out of a total of 645,000 accounts in Kedah. — Bernama