(Nov 17): The completion of the RM1.2 billion Mengkuang Dam expansion project, crucial in ensuring Penang's raw water supply, will be delayed by another year.

The dam expansion project, funded by the federal government and implemented by the Water Supply Department of the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry (Kettha), was originally scheduled for completion on July 31 next year but will now be delayed to mid-2017, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said today.

He said the state government was concerned that the delay could impact the state's supply of raw water, and urged the federal government to guarantee that the water supply would not be compromised, especially during drought.

He said to facilitate the expansion, the state had agreed to lower the capacity of the dam after receiving a written guarantee that water from Kedah would be released into Sungai Muda at the Penang-Kedah border during dry seasons.

Sungai Muda in northern Seberang Prai provides some 80% of Penang's water.

"We will request that this guarantee be extended for another year until the dam expansion project is completed.

"Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) general-manager Jaseni Maidinsa will write to the federal government to make this request.

"We hope there will not be any water crisis in Penang," Lim said during a press conference at the state legislative assembly building today.

Jaseni said the guarantee should be extended until the defect and liability period for the project ends, even after the dam is completed.

When completed, the dam which is the largest in the state will boost Penang's water supply by three times.

"When the expansion is completed, you can put 27 Air Itam dams into the Mengkuang Dam," Jaseni said, adding that it was also a good destination for recreation.

Meanwhile, when asked what led to the delay, Lim, who is also chairman of the water supply corporation, said he did not know the exact cause but that state federal action council chief Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman had said it was due to technical issues.

Lim said Penang was committed to keeping its track record of never having to resort to water rationing, even during drought, through measures like good management of water supply and demand.

He again promised that "heads will roll" if Penang ever needed to ration water, a move that would affect 561,811 registered water consumers including multinational corporations that operate around the clock.

"We are proud of this achievement. We have zero tolerance for water rationing," he said, adding that Penang was the only state that had never resorted to water rationing.

Lim also urged 1.6 million Penangites to conserve water as Penang, where the water tariff for domestic use is the cheapest at 32 sen per 1,000 litres, was also the state that uses the most water. – The Malaysian Insider