NEWS & EVENTS
WATER TARIFF REVIEW TO IMPROVE SERVICES AND CONTROL CONSUMPTION George Town, June 2021
Penang’s water supply operator has proposed a water tariff review. The public consultation exercise on the proposal published on Penang Water Supply Corporation’s (PBAPP) website has just concluded. This was conducted by National Water Services Commission (SPAN), which is also conducting public consultation for water tariff reviews in other states such as Kedah, Perak, Melaka, Negri Sembilan and Johor.
Back in 2019 and 2020, SPAN also conducted similar exercises involving tariff reviews for Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Selangor and FT Labuan. PBAPP CEO, Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa said one of the reasons for the tariff review was the projection of increased water demand. “Penang’s average water consumption was 845 million litres per day (MLD) in 2020, and the water demand is projected to reach 1,696 MLD by 2040 and 1,884 MLD in 2050,” he said.
Also, Penang has also become over- dependent on Sungai Muda as a raw water resource where 80 per cent of raw water was extracted from the river. Maidinsa believes that PBAPP must tap a second major raw water resource for Penang towards 2050, such as Sungai Perak. Sufficient funds are needed to construct the proposed Sungai Kerian Water Treatment Plant to treat raw water from Sungai Perak before the proposed Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme comes online.
Climate change and abnormally low rainfall in water catchment areas has exacerbated Penang’s raw water risks so the city needs to implement its Penang Water Supply Initiative 2050 contingency projects to mitigate raw water risks. Penang’s current domestic water tariff at 32 cents per 1,000 litres for the first 35,000 litres per month is the lowest in the country. According to Maidinsa, these
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low existing tariffs make it impossible for PBAPP to raise sufficient funds for its proposed capex
Penang’s per capita domestic consumption was 299 litres per capita per day (LCD) as compared to the national average of 240 LCD. This higher consumption can be attributed to its low tariffs, according to Maidinsa. By reviewing the domestic tariffs, more consumers will be motivated to save water and reduce consumption.
PUB TO DEPLOY AUTONOMOUS DRONES TO ENHANCE RESERVOIR MONITORING Singapore, June 2021
National Water Agency PUB will deploy Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones to conduct monitoring at six reservoirs across Singapore, starting from end-May 2021. Equipped with remote sensing systems and a camera for near real-time video analytics, the drones will initially be deployed at MacRitchie and Marina, before being rolled out progressively at Serangoon, Kranji, Lower Seletar and Lower Peirce later this year. They are specially programmed to observe water quality and will also be used to monitor water activities.
Presently, PUB officers conduct daily
patrols to look out for excessive growth of aquatic plants and algal blooms, which could affect the water quality in the reservoirs. During these patrols, data is also collected on water activities, such as fishing and paddling activities, in and along the reservoirs' edge, to ensure they are conducted safely. Every year, a total of 7,200 man-hours are spent on these tasks. By tapping on unmanned drones to carry out monitoring operations, PUB expects to save about 5,000 man-hours which can be redirected to other works. The drones are capable of surveying large areas of the reservoir, collecting comprehensive data, and also triggering alerts when it detects activities such as illegal fishing.
Yeo Keng Soon, Director of PUB's Catchment and Waterways Department, said, “With 17 reservoirs under our care, it can be a challenge manpower-wise to effectively monitor what goes on at each reservoir and ensure the reservoirs are in optimal condition. Our use of drones is in line with PUB's commitment to leverage technology as part of the SMART PUB roadmap to improve our operations and meet future needs.”
PUB has awarded a contract to ST Engineering to utilise the group's proprietary drone operating system, DroNet, which has been customised to meet PUB's requirements. This follows successful trials that were conducted at the reservoirs last year.
Saving manpower through the use of technology
Image by
Shutterstock.com/2days
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