GEORGE TOWN, Sept 10 — Penang is expected to sign an agreement with Perak within the next two to three months for the Northern Perak Water Supply Scheme, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.
He said he is optimistic the agreement for the project — to transfer raw water from Sungai Perak for treatment and distribution to both states — can be finalised before year-end.
“Official negotiations with the Perak state government started in August,” he told reporters after launching the Negalitres for Schools 2.0 programme in Komtar.
He said two meetings have been held so far and negotiations will continue until the agreement is signed.
Chow said if the project begins next year, it will take five to six years to complete.
“It will be ready around 2030 or 2031,” he said, adding that the Penang Water Supply Corporation’s (PBAPP) contingency project is expected to finish before 2030.
“With these projects, we will be able to add a few hundred million litres per day to our capacity,” he said.
He said the Penang-Perak water project is meant as a medium- to long-term measure. By the end of next year, two other projects are expected to add another 160 million litres per day (MLD).
The Negalitres for Schools Penang 2.0 is a Water Watch Penang initiative to promote water sustainability in 170 schools over three years. It involves installing water-saving devices and running education programmes.
The first phase, launched in 2022, equipped 100 schools with more than 2,200 self-closing taps and 2,400 PBAPP water-saving devices.
