Rainwater being put to good use
RAINWATER harvesting will be implemented at low-cost flats in
Penang Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) director Hanapi Mohamad Noor said the department would monitor the pilot project at the N-Park Condominium in Batu Uban and, if successful, extend it to low-cost housing such as the Penang Municipal Council flats in Sungai Pinang.
“We plan to begin implementing it at the low-cost flats by the middle of next year, as there would be some indication of the performance of the system at the condominium by then,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters on Saturday after launching the pilot project named Nega-Litres (for negative litres), aimed at reducing water usage by 10% to 20% in a year.
Hanapi (right) and Prof Chan inspecting one of the six tanks used to story rainwater at the N-Park Condominium.
Hanapi said N-Park Condominium was the first high-rise residential apartment in the country to carry out rainwater harvesting but such a system already existed in places like the 1Utama shopping complex in Petaling Jaya and residential houses in Sabah.
He said the pilot project jointly implemented by the DID, Water Watch Penang and Penang Water Supply Corporation Bhd cost nearly RM250,000.
The sum covered six water tanks with a capacity of 10,000 litres each to store rainwater collected from the roof of a condominium block, and the piping system inclusive of 26 taps.
Hanapi said that as there was no pump, the water supply was by gravity flow and it was meant for the common area use only, such as for watering plants, washing cars, and cleaning common area facilities including the public toilets.
WWP president Prof Chan Ngai Weng, who is also the condominium’s Residents’ Association chairman, said the water bill for its common area came to about RM5,000 per month.
He also said that 100 households at the condominium had also pledged to reduce their water usage and monthly contests would be carried out as incentives.
