However, chief minister Chow Kon Yeow urged Penangites to remain vigilant and store up water in case of an emergency.

“Consumers must be careful in using water. When possible, save some water to face any possibilities,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

Yesterday, Penang’s main water treatment plant in Butterworth had operated below capacity after it was affected by turbid water. Penang takes its water supply from a river with a basin extending upstream from Baling.

Baling was affected by another round of flooding recently, with many residents displaced from their villages.

Chow reiterated that Putrajaya must hasten a water pipeline project transferring raw water from Perak, saying it was of “national interest”.

The Penang Water Supply Corporation said this morning its main water treatment plant recorded a “safe” nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU) level of 326. The level had been at 1,331 NTU, which was unsafe for human consumption, at midnight.

Yesterday, the level peaked at 1,824 NTU at 8pm, forcing the main water plant to operate at 70% capacity. This caused water supply disruptions on the southern part of the island and Balik Pulau as well as Seberang Perai central and southern districts.

Earlier, Chow launched Penang’s first 5G network under YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YES) on the island, with coverage to be expanded to Seberang Perai next year.

He said 151 transmitter sites have been identified, of which 58 were new 5G towers, while another 93 were upgraded towers.

He said more 5G towers had to be built as the new network required shorter distances compared to the current generation of cell towers in use.

Separately, Chow said Penang had signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Celcom Axiata, Digi, Maxis, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia, Webe Digital , TimeDotCom, YES and Allo Technology concerning the Penang Connectivity Master Plan.

He said the NDA would facilitate better development of communications infrastructure among network operators and state authorities.