GEORGE TOWN: Water crisis is expected to be a thing of the past in Penang after Perak agreed to sell treated water to the state.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said Penang is anticipated to receive treated water from Perak gradually over the span of six to ten years.
At present, about 80 per cent of Penang's raw water is sourced from Kedah's Sungai Muda.
"We receive well the statement by Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad to sell treated water to Penang after the meeting between the State Secretaries of both states last Thursday.
"We started this process back in 2009. We have been looking at Sungai Perak as an alternative raw water resource after depending on Kedah's Sungai Muda for so long.
"We expect to receive treated water from Perak within the next six to 10 years. This can be implemented considering northern Perak too needs it for agriculture and the recent announcement that northern Perak has been chosen as the new industrial hub. So, this is a pressing need," he told newsmen when asked to comment on the matter.
Last Saturday, the Perak state government agreed to sell treated water to Penang following a unanimous agreement between the state secretaries on Thursday.
Saarani, who confirmed this, said a joint committee was set up between the two state governments to pursue cropped-up matters.
The committee would study all costs before applying for an allocation with the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry to build a water treatment plant in the Kerian district in north Perak.
Chow said the Penang - Perak issue was one of his top priorities as water involved lives and all economic activities.
"With Perak's guarantee, we will now work out the details. This is the first step. More details will be discussed.
"Before this, several technical research was done involving the project costs and options, alignment options, pipes and others.
"We understand Perak's stand to only consider providing treated water. Treated water may involve a tariff which needs to be set and agreed upon by National Water Services Commission (SPAN)," he added.
Chow also did not deny the fact that the water tariff is expected to be higher after this.
"Whatever tariff will be set by SPAN. Another issue is the length of the agreement, 30 years or 50 years, and whether tariff can be reviewed after a number of years.
"All this has to be discussed," he said.
Several rounds of talks have been held between both states for the past 12 years with regard to the implementation of the Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme (SPRWTS).
It was reported previously that the SPRWTS, part of the Penang Water Supply Initiative 2050 (PWSI 2050) to mitigate Penang's raw water risks until 2030, was proposed following an independent masterplan study commissioned by the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) in 2009.
According to PBAPP, Sungai Perak is the best option as its raw water resource is presently underutilised.
As such, the Penang government and PBAPP had sought to tap Sungai Perak as the second or alternative raw water resource for the state since 2011.
The SPRWTS involved the construction of a water tunnel to channel raw water from Sungai Perak upstream to Sungai Ijok, which would flow to Sungai Kerian. The raw water would then be extracted from Sungai Kerian, where a water treatment plant would be built on the Penang side of the border.