Jutting out to sea for 120m from Sungai Satu as well as Sungai Batu Ferringhi, the two outfalls serve as outlets for the rivers while doubling up as viewing decks for the public.

The two are 300m apart and two metres high. At high tide, the water will reach the topmost step on the sides of the outfall.

They will be open to the public from Dec 23 onwards.

Penang Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) northeast district engineer Haslinda Mohamad Hamran said the outfalls were built at the river mouths, also known as estuaries.

“The river mouths were previously often blocked by sand washed in by the tides.

“This resulted in stagnated rivers, which turned filthy as the water could not pass through during dry periods.” Haslinda said at the site briefing by the beach today.

Earlier, state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow and state DID director Sabri Abdul Mulok visited the site.

The outfalls were built at a cost of RM10 million as part of DID’s river rehabilitation project for Sungai Satu and Sungai Batu Ferringhi.

The project was mooted following news reports of untreated sewage waters seeping into Batu Ferringhi from one of the rivers in 2014.

The Department of Environment (DoE) later confirmed that the effluents were discharged from an Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) plant next to Sungai Batu Ferringhi.

Traces of the E coli bacteria, usually found in human waste, were detected by DoE at the time.

IWK had then denied responsibility for the spill.

Last year, IWK announced a RM40 million upgrade of the sewage plant, which upon completion, would increase the capacity of the plant from 30,000PE (population equivalent) to 60,000PE.

IWK had also said the effluents that were discharged directly to the river would now be discharged from the Sungai Batu Ferringhi outfall.

It also said it would meet the strict DoE standards for discharge.