GEORGE TOWN: Penang has put its main water treatment plant in Butterworth on high alert as muddy water from another round of Baling floods threatens to interrupt the state’s water supply again.
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Non-stop rain that began at 2pm in Baling yesterday had caused water to rise above a newly built Bailey bridge in Kampung Iboi there.
The floods forced seven families to be evacuated, rescue authorities told Bernama.
Nearly 80% of Penang’s tap water is sourced from Sungai Muda, which flows from two other rivers upstream of Baling.
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When Baling was hit by floods earlier this month, water supply to Penang was interrupted for at least three days.
In a statement, Penang Water Supply Corp (PBAPP) said the nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU) level – the standard measurement of how turbid the raw water supply is – remained at a normal reading of 261.
During the previous Baling floods, which caused major disruptions to piped water supply throughout Penang, the NTU level hit 3,000.
PBAPP said while the situation was normal for now, it was ready to implement emergency measures at its main water treatment plant in Butterworth.-FMT