ALOR STAR: Syarikat Air Darul Aman Sdn Bhd (Sada) is rolling out a contingency plan to cater for five million additional users during the Hari Raya festive season next week.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the state-owned water supply provider will activate localised service centres in 12 locations identified as high risk areas to be affected by water supply disruption.
Sanusi said the centres will be activated beginning this Friday until April 6 with the objective of reducing water supply disruption issues during the festive period.
"Based on the projection made the police force that 1.4 million vehicles are expected to enter Kedah for the Hari Raya festive season, we are estimating that some five million people will be coming home to their respective kampung.
"As such, we are expecting the demand for treated water to jump by over 30 per cent which is equivalent to an additional 250 million litre per day (MLD).
"On normal days our water treatment plants are producing some 780 MLD daily, so we need to increase the treated water to over 1,000 MLD daily during the festive period," he told reporters after chairing the state executive council meeting here today.
The 12 locations for the centres include Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra mosque, Kuala Kedah and Pulau Tengah mosque, Pokok Asam, Pendang in the Kedah Utara 1 area; and, Batu 4, Sanglang food stall, Kodiang food court and Ayer Hitam assemblyman service centre in the Kedah Utara 2 area.
The others are the Gurun Water Treatment Plant Dewan Taman Nelayan in Tanjung Dawai, Masjid Bukit Selambau and Sada Depot, Semeling in the Kedah Tengah area; Dewan Orang Ramai, Kampung Becah Sawa, in Baling and Surau Kampung Tok Aris in Jeneri, Sik; and, Ayer Hangat Public Market, Langkawi.
"Sada has placed 71 low capacity water tankers with capacity loads of between 800 gallons and 1,200 gallons on standby to be deployed to the affected areas.
"Other than that, two jumbo tankers with 10,000 gallon capacities will also be deployed as support.
"Sada will also place 12 additional lorries on standby at 12 different locations which will act as troubleshooters for water supply distributions," Sanusi said.
From operational perspective, he said Sada was trying to optimise the Water Treatment Plan production capacity.
The company has also temporarily suspended all scheduled maintenance works which include pipe repairing and water replacement.
The public may contact the Sada hotline at 1-300 88 0017 or Sada's Operations Room at 04-7408976.
Sanusi advised the public to make preparations for any possible water disruptions during the festive period by storing water.
"We are fully aware of the inconvenience caused and I wish to apologise. We are doing our level best to minimise the possibility of disruptions," he said.