Penang: CAP pledges support for proposed Ulu Muda Basin Authority

THE Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has pledged to support the proposal to create a Ulu Muda Basin Authority (UMBA) to conserve and sustain affordable water supply up north.

CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said that the proposal by Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) chairman Datuk Seri Jaseni Maidinsa is well-planned and its emphasis on sustainability prompts CAP to throw its weight behind.

Mohideen said that water resources is precious and all parties entrusted to manage the commodity need to be apolitical to it.

What is of paramount importance, is the sustainable aspects of it, and this is one area neither party should compromise, said Mohideen.

Jaseni had vouched for the creation of UMBA to ensure a sustainable and affordable flow of treated water for the northern region states of Perlis, Kedah and Penang.

He said that the concept was sent to the Prime Minister's office in 2021 but there was no progress, and he will now resubmit the proposal owing to the urgency of ensuring that the water resources up north is protected.

The Ulu Muda Basin near the Sik - Baling district in Kedah supplies the majority of residents in Perlis, Kedah and Penang.

Jaseni said that if all efforts failed to secure a traditional and sustainable water supply pact under UMBA, Penang has no choice but to undertake an expensive alternative of seawater desalination plants.

He shared in-depth details, citing that from the RM182 billion annual gross domestic product (GDP) which Perlis, Kedah and Penang combined to produce, there is a government tax worth RM20 billion.

A percentage of this can be recycled to fund the UMBA together with contributions from Perlis, Kedah and Penang based on their consumption from Sg Muda.

This will ensure the full benefits of a circular economy.

PAAB is funding RM 1.9 billion to build two water treatment plants (WTP) in Kedah and one WTP in Penang which will treat 464 million litres per day by 2030.

UMBA will ensure there will be enough raw water from Sg Muda for these 3 projects.

Mohidden said this after attending his late brother S.M. Mohd Idris Memorial Lecture at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)'s Centre for Policy Research.

Idris, was the CSO stalwart before he passed away in 2019 at the age of 92.

The keynote address was delivered by veteran media practitioner Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, who is also the National News Agency (Bernama) board chairman.

Wong espoused the importance of strong media and CSO collaboration, saying that both need each other as they are pillars of a democratic society.

Wong also offered to lend his expertise to help CSO carry their messaging across new media platforms such as podcasting and social media postings.

He also took questions where he underlined the importance of social media, saying that it can become an important messaging tool if the right content is peddled, and users do not abuse the platform with inaccurate content. - December 7, 2025.