Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the project had been delayed for 14 years and was previously known as the Sungai Perak raw water transmission scheme, Bernama reported.

He said the state and the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) had obtained approvals for the plan’s implementation.

He hopes that negotiations on purchasing the treated water would begin soon to expedite the implementation of the project.

“Overall, the implementation of the Perak-Penang water project is very important.

“It will not only benefit the three states in the north of the peninsula, but also meet the needs of consumers in the affected Seberang Perai Selatan, including existing development centres and those to be established in the future,” he said in a statement today.

Chow said the prime minister had noted that the initiative would not only increase water distribution for the Kerian Integrated Green Industrial Park and the entire district around the area, but also expand the supply to Seberang Perai, covering Sungai Bakap and Cherok Tok Kun in Penang.

In June last year, Anwar said the government had agreed to allocate an estimated RM4 billion for the implementation of the raw water distribution project from Sungai Perak to the Bukit Merah dam in Kerian.

Last month, PBAPP’s CEO K Pathmanathan projected water demand in the state to rise from 1,208 million litres per day last year to 1,532 MLD by 2030.

He expected the Perak-Penang water project to provide at least 250 MLD of treated water from Perak to Seberang Perai.

He attributed the high water usage in Seberang Perai Tengah to the district having the second-largest population in Penang and the presence of nine major industrial areas, such as the Perai industrial area and the Penang science park.