Chow described the Sungai Dua treatment plant valve replacement and maintenance works at 22 locations statewide a success.

However, he said limited water supply and ageing infrastructure will continue to pose a challenge in the future.

The scheduled water disruption from Jan 10-14 resulted in disruptions to 590,000 users in Penang. However, water supply was restored to most consumers earlier than expected.

According to Chow, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) will continue upgrading its assets to better serve the people.

“This is to ensure more efficient and effective delivery of water supply,” he told reporters after attending a scholarship award ceremony here by Ancom Crop Care.

Separately, Chow said the state government had signed an MoU with Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) on recycling water from its sewage plants for use by factories.

Acknowledging the recommendation by the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) for Penang to tap into treating wastewater, the chief minister said talks with IWK were ongoing.

“Most importantly, we need to have consumers, in this case factories, (that are) willing to buy this recycled water for their operations.”

SPAN chairman Charles Santiago was reported to have said Penang would be able to reclaim 200 million litres of water per day (MLD) from wastewater on the island alone. Currently, Penang produces 1,126 MLD of water from its nine treatment plants across the state.

Santiago said reclaimed water would particularly benefit industries. He said the Bayan Baru and Jelutong sewage treatment plants were located near factories and it was cheaper to treat wastewater rather than processing river water.

Meanwhile, Chow said the state government had yet to receive any requests for water bill rebates from consumers affected by the scheduled water disruption.

Responding to Penang Gerakan’s call for at least a 50% rebate on water bills, he said the Penang government “will wait and see”.