PBA Chief Executive Officer Jaseni Maidinsa said the long-term security and sustainability of water supply in the region used by its four million populace should be prioritised, before another dry spell hits.
“Super El Niño has clearly reminded us that when dam reserves drop to critical levels, no amount of money can buy additional raw water reserves for Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak, in the short-term.
“Until today, all key dams in the northern region have not fully recovered from the effects of Super El Niño.
“Looking ahead, we do not know when the next Super El Niño will hit us,” he said in a statement today.
Jaseni said a six-pronged solution developed by the PBA has been sent to the National Water Resources Council. They are:
- Immediately banning all logging activities in the Ulu Muda catchments and gazetting these areas as water catchment areas protected by law;
- Compensating Kedah with federal funds to protect and preserve the Ulu Muda catchments, after these areas are gazetted;
- Implementing the Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme (SPRWTS) in 5-7 years, to meet Perak and Penang’s raw water demand until the year 2050;
- Allocating federal funding for the SPRWTS for the benefit of the two states, in accordance with the 2011 agreements signed between the Federal Government and the Penang State Government for Penang’s migration to the National Water Services Restructuring Initiative;
- Urging the Federal Government to play a more proactive role in protecting, managing and optimising all raw water resources in the northern region for the mutual benefit of Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak, in line with the concept of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER); and
- Preparing a water crisis management plan for the northern region and leveraging on all available raw water resources to minimise the risks, threats and negative impact of future prolonged dry seasons.
There are about 4 million Malaysians living and working in Perlis, Kedah, Penang and northern Perak.
In 2015, the 4 NCER states contributed about 15.8 per cent of the national GDP of RM1.012 trillion. It was reported that the NCER netted RM4.47 billion in investments in the first 6 months of 2016.
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