ALOR SETAR: The Kedah government will send a technical team to observe the underground water catchment facilities in Japan, following a proposal to build a similar facility in Langkawi.
According to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, the proposal to build a similar facility worth over RM300 million had been approved at the Kedah Water Resources Board (LSANK) level.
“Many of the islands in Japan use such facilities. If we build a similar model in Langkawi, it will be the first in Malaysia,” he said.
“The Japanese consultant who proposed it said it would be suitable to be built in Langkawi as there are stretches of rocks on the side and bottom with a river above, so we just need to dam it slightly to create an underground reservoir,” Sanusi told reporters today.
Previously, the state government had proposed groundwater exploration as an alternative to address the problem of disruptions in clean water supply in the state.
Last month, the state’s Public Works, Natural Resources, Water Supply and Environmental Committee Chairman Mohamad Yusoff @ Munir Zakaria was reported to have said that a government agency was carrying out a study and would implement the pilot project for an underground water catchment facility in Padang Mat Sirat, Langkawi.
Dams Raising Concerns
This was concerning an incident involving two damns hitting a warning level, despite being ‘still manageable’ as Yusoff had said.
“The Muda Dam had hit danger level reserves with only 45.2%, but we don’t foresee any serious issues to continue supplying raw water to treatment plants because the Muda Dam is connected to the Pedu Dam.
“Our concern is on the Bukit Malut Damn in Langkawi, which had also reached the danger level,” he said during a press conference at the state executive council meeting on 20 March.
He also advised the public to use water sparingly as the design capacity of all 35 water treatment plants in the country is 1.45 billion litres a day, but instead, he said that the plants are now treating up to 1.6 billion litres of water daily.
Currently, Kedah has six main dams that supply raw water to the domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors, namely the Pedu Dam, Muda Dam, Ahning Dam, Beris Dam, Bukit Malut Dam and Padang Saga Dam.
