GEORGE TOWN, March 1 — Penang will consider applying for another round cloud seeding operations after the recent operations failed to bring rain, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
Chow said the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) will make the necessary arrangements with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
“We will continue to monitor the situation but water level at Air Itam Dam has not declined since the announcement of the action plan,” he said after officiating a five-day “We are site managers International symposium” at The Wembley Stadium Giles Hotel here today.
He said the dam water level is still at 37 per cent after PBAPP reduced drawdown from the dam and supplying consumers with water from the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP), while the water level at Sungai Muda is still high.
“It has not reached any of the critical levels,” he said.
Nadma coordinated two cloud seeding operations on Tuesday and Wednesday over the water catchment areas of Air Itam Dam and Teluk Bahang Dam.
The operations were conducted by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).
However, no rainfall was recorded after the cloud seeding operations
Chow said the state government did not have to fund the operations as it was coordinated by Nadma.
Yesterday, in a statement on the failure of the cloud seeding operations, PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said they hoped Nadma will commission the RMAF to conduct additional cloud seeding operations in Penang next month.
He said PBAPP has reduced daily drawdowns from the Air Itam Dam by 75 per cent under the Air Itam Dam Action Plan 2024 (AIDAP 2024).
He said PBAPP is pumping 33 million litres of treated water per day (MLD) from the Sungai Dua WTP in Seberang Perai into the service area of the Air Itam WTP.
