MANJUNG, November 12 — The Perak state government has decided to sell treated water to Penang after discussions between the two states reached a consensus. Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad stated that last week, the State Secretaries of Perak and Penang, Datuk Ahmad Suaidi Abdul Rahim and Datuk Rosli Isa, respectively, held their first meeting to discuss the sale of water. The decision was made as the state government intends to transfer water to northern Perak through the construction of a new water treatment plant to address irrigation issues in the area.
Saarani mentioned that the decision followed the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim regarding the proposed opening of a high-tech industrial area in the Kerian district, which requires sufficient water supply to meet the demands of industries in the area. “We have informed that the Perak and Penang governments have reached an agreement, namely that Perak will supply treated water to Penang, not raw water. Both states have agreed to establish a joint committee, and both will later submit requests to the relevant ministry for adequate allocations to build a water treatment plant in Perak for this purpose,” he said.
This decision marks a positive development after years of ongoing discussions on water supply issues between Penang and Perak. Chief Minister of Penang Chow Kon Yeow confirmed the positive progress, noting that discussions had been ongoing for several years. He further stated that there had been positive developments, and he had met with two Menteri Besar of Perak and two relevant ministers regarding the matter.
