PENANG, December 20 – The effective capacities of Penang’s 3 main dams have reached healthy levels ahead of the 2022 dry season:
| Dams | % Effective capacity (17.12.2021) | Maximum effective capacity (millions of litres – ML) | Rainfall in mm (1.7.2021 to 17.12.2021) |
| Air Itam Dam | 88.7 | 2,159 | 1,440.3 |
| Teluk Bahang Dam | 87.6 | 18,240 | 1,733.5 |
| Mengkuang Dam | 93.9 | 86,400 | 3,579.0 |
Since daily water consumption in Penang has remained relatively stable, the primary reason is high volumes of rainfall in the dam water catchment areas, over the past 6 months since July 2021. This phenomenon proves that rainfall is the key factor for the refilling of Penang’s dams to healthy levels. The present dam status also reflects the fact that there is nothing significantly wrong with Penang’s dams and water catchment areas.
From the water supply engineering standpoint, the Teluk Bahang Dam has “recovered” as at December 2021, while the Air Itam Dam has been refilled to “safe levels” on time. Unlike the Air Itam Dam and Teluk Bahang Dam which are “daily use dams”, the Mengkuang Dam functions primarily as a “strategic drought reserve”. Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang Sdn Bhd (PBAPP) taps its reserves during dry seasons when it is unable to abstract sufficient raw water from Sungai Muda and when the dam capacity nears 100%.
| Dams | % Effective capacity (5.9.2020) | % Effective capacity (17.12.2021) | % Difference in effective capacity |
| Air Itam Dam | 33.3% | 88.7 | 55.4 |
| Teluk Bahang Dam | 16.0% | 87.6 | 71.6 |
| Mengkuang Dam | 88.0% | 93.9 | 5.9 |
As such, PBAPP has been “stabilising” the Mengkuang Dam’s effective capacity in 2021. Kindly note the following:
- The maximum effective capacity of the Air Itam Dam (2,159 ML) is significantly less than that of the Teluk Bahang Dam (18,240 ML). As such, it takes much more rainfall to refill the Teluk Bahang Dam.
- On 5.9.2020, the effective capacity of the Teluk Bahang Dam was 16.0%, due to low rainfall in its water catchment areas over a 13-month period (from August 2019 to September 2020).
- In terms of effective capacity, it took more than 15 months for the Teluk Bahang Dam to “recover”, from 5.9.2020 to 17.12.2021.
Penang’s dams are in relatively good shape as we prepare for the first dry season of 2022, which is projected to commence from January. However, due to climate change, the arrival of the first wet season of 2022 to refill the dams (after the dry season) may no longer be safely predicted. PBAPP will continue to plan ahead to ensure water supply sufficiency in 2022. To be prudent, we will continue to monitor rainfall, dam effective capacities and the river level of Sungai Muda on a daily basis. We will also implement water supply “dry weather controls” from January 2022.
PBAPP encourages all Penang water consumers to continue to use water wisely in the new year. We need your kind cooperation and support to ensure that there is sufficient water supply for everyone in 2022, as Penang strives to recover effectively from the Covid-19 pandemic and its socioeconomic effects.
