Agape Home Penang houses 20 children with disabilities, and director Sharon Muniandy said they had not bathed for two days and were “in a mess”.

“The disabled, especially children, usually urinate and defecate in their pants, so we need to wash and change them. The problem is there is no water, and the toilets are already smelly and dirty,” she said.

Since the water cuts at 4pm yesterday, Sharon said, she had only received tap water from the Penang fire and rescue department at noon today.

Parts of the island have been facing dry taps after water treatment plants were forced to shut down because of murky water following the floods in Baling, Kedah.

Sharon said she had visited nearby shops to buy drinking water but failed to get any and only received two boxes of bottled drinking water last night after reaching out to the Penang Hindu Association.

“We usually get donations from the public, but maybe everyone is having a difficult time, too, so we didn’t get any help,” she said.

V Girithren, president of the Seri Cahaya Welfare Home at Batu Maung, said most stores had run out of bottled drinking water by the time he went to buy some.

“It was a sudden shock to us. Although such cases have happened before, we are usually told about it a day or two in advance.

“However, we understand this time it’s an emergency situation, so we can’t do anything. We’re just hoping the situation is resolved as soon as possible,” he said.

With 25 children and 30 old folks under its wing, the home quickly reached out to regular donors when the taps dried up.

Girithren said a neighbour, Ew Kok Beng, had generously shared ground water with the welfare home and other neighbours since the water disruption.

Both welfare homes have received meals from donors for the residents and children.

Yesterday, the Penang Water Supply Corporation said water pressure would be low as a treatment plant was shuttered for four hours to allow muddy water to clear up, and that normal water supply was expected to resume later today.