Burst pipe affects 130,790 consumers in Penang

A TOTAL of 130,790 consumers in Penang have been affected by an unscheduled water supply disruption following a burst pipe incident in Kampung Sungai Lokan, North Seberang Perai, last night.

Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) Chief Executive Officer Datuk Ir. K. Pathmanathan said emergency repair work on the 300-millimetre diameter pipe is expected to be completed by 8:35 pm today.

Water supply is scheduled to be restored to 95 per cent of the affected consumers by 8 am tomorrow.

“The burst pipe, detected at 11:30 pm, was connected to a 1,350-millimetre diameter main pipeline and also caused flooding in the village.

“To enable repair works to proceed, PBAPP had to halt operations on the 1,350-millimetre diameter pipeline used to pump treated water from the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP) to the twin submarine pipelines in Butterworth,” he said today.

Pathmanathan noted that the shutdown of the pipeline resulted in a temporary reduction in the volume of water pumped from the Sungai Dua WTP to Penang.

As of 2:30 pm, the repair team was preparing to commence welding operations.

He stated that the disruption caused low water pressure or a complete lack of supply for consumers in several areas, including North Seberang Perai, the Southwest District, and the Northeast District on the island.

“PBAPP has activated its Emergency Response Protocol to restore water supply to affected consumers in stages. “PBAPP is making every effort to restore water supply as quickly as possible, in accordance with the requirements of the National Water Services Commission (SPAN).

“We seek the patience and understanding of all water consumers affected by this incident and apologise for any inconvenience caused,” he said. – October 13, 2026