THE situation at the Teluk Bahang and Air Itam dams is critical, says the Penang water authority. Deliverance hinges on the rainy season keeping its appointment next month.

RAW water reserves at the Teluk Bahang and Air Itam dams have dropped to dangerously low levels, raising concerns about shortages.

Up to yesterday, the Teluk Bahang dam was at 26.4 per cent capacity, while the Air Itam dam stood at 29.7 per cent.

Both are below the critical threshold of 30 per cent, which is considered a dangerous level.

Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan said that without rain, the water at the Air Itam dam could last less than a month, and the Teluk Bahang dam could sustain supply for 80 days.

“However, we expect the rainy season to begin next month,” he told the New Straits Times.

Meanwhile, checks at the Teluk Bahang dam showed the water level had decreased significantly, with parts of an old road, submerged for the past two decades, now visible.

This road once connected Teluk Bahang and Balik Pulau.

Pathmanathan called on water users to cut their consumption by 10 per cent to conserve the remaining water.

PBAPP also requested cloud seeding to replenish the dams and is awaiting a response from the federal government.

Last week, the National Disaster Management Agency said the Teluk Bahang dam and two other dams were at dangerous levels, while five other dams, including Air Itam, were at warning levels.

Page 1 pic: Receding water levels leave sections of Teluk Bahang dam in Penang dried out yesterday.