Penang to start cloud seeding from April 29 to refill island dams as demand grows

K Pathmanathan said heavy rainfall is needed to refill the dams with as much raw water as possible as the effective capacities of the dams are now at 44.8 per cent at Air Itam Dam and 48.6 per cent at Teluk Bahang Dam. — Malay Mail photo

GEORGE TOWN (April 25): Cloud seeding operations over water catchment areas on Penang island are expected to start from April 29, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) announced today.

Its CEO K Pathmanathan said the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) had recommended that the first wave of operations be held between April 29 and May 7.

The cloud seeding operation will be conducted by the Royal Malaysia Air Force (RMAF), which is likely to depart from the Subang Air Base in Selangor.

“The primary objective is to induce heavy rainfall over the water catchment areas of the Air Itam Dam and Teluk Bahang Dam,” he said in a statement.

He said heavy rainfall is needed to refill the dams with as much raw water as possible as the effective capacities of the dams are now at 44.8 per cent at Air Itam Dam and 48.6 per cent at Teluk Bahang Dam.

He said the effective capacities of the dams have dropped by 37.7 per cent and 15.4 per cent respectively since January 1, due to low rainfall in water catchment areas and the high water demand in Penang.

“Both dams were not refilled to 100 per cent capacity at the end of 2022 due to low rainfall in the water catchment areas last year,” he said.

He said the state government had approved an allocation of RM400,000 for the cloud seeding operations and had sought assistance from the federal government.

The National Disaster Management Agency had responded by facilitating the cloud seeding operations and the air force had agreed to undertake the operations as there were no qualified private sector companies that can meet conditions set by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia to conduct the operations.

Pathmanathan thanked the federal agencies, Meteorological Department and the Penang Water Regulatory Body for making these operations possible.

He said a PBAPP representative will be witnessing the cloud seeding operations first hand.

He said it will take a few days for rainfall to occur and for the rainwater to flow into the dams.

“Depending on the outcome and circumstances, PBAPP may request for additional allocations from the state government to fund a second wave of additional cloud seeding operations to replenish the reserves of Penang’s dams,” he said.

He called on domestic consumers to use water wisely as 61.5 per cent of the state’s total water consumption of 868 million litres per day (MLD) is due to domestic water consumption.

“In February this year, water consumption in Penang spiked to an average of 944 MLD,” he said.

The public can call 04-2558255 to report leaks at roadside mains or pipes immediately or visit www.pba.com.my for more domestic water saving tips.

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