KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — The public is advised not to panic over the outflow of water through the spillway of the Tasik Kenyir Dam in Terengganu as it is a normal process for a dam.
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) Power Generation Sdn Bhd managing director, Datuk Nor Azman Mufti said when the dam water at the Sultan Mahmud Power Station there exceeded the 145-metre level, it would overflow through a doorless outlet.
“This has nothing to do with the opening of the dam door because there is no such door. The dam is able to accommodate the lake water like a very large reservoir tank and functions as flood mitigation,” he said in a statement today.
Nor Azman said water at the Tasik Kenyir Dam flowing through the doorless outlet was not the first time it happened but the 11th time since the Sultan Mahmud Power Station started operating in 1985.
He added that the main factor that contributed to the increase in the water level of the dam was the unusual high rainfall, about 400 millimetres (mm) over the past 12 hours.
All four generators at the power station are operating at full capacity of 400 megawatts (MW) to ensure the water level of the lake and dam integrity are under control.
Kenyir Lake, which covers an area of 370 square kilometres (km²), was created in 1978 with its catchment area of 1,260 km² covering three states, namely, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.
Meanwhile, TNB in a separate statement repeated its safety advice and guidelines during and after the floods following the incident of someone who died of electric shock in Kampung Paya Kechik in Temerloh, Pahang.
During floods, victims are not to use any electrical equipment and ensure that the main switch is turned off to reduce the risk of electric shock and to avoid touching electrical appliances or cables submerged in water even when coated with insulation.
After a flood, the main switch on the distribution board must be turned off before cleaning any electrical equipment or home wiring, besides ensuring that electrical cables and appliances submerged in the flood water are first inspected by a registered electrical contractor before reuse. — Bernama
