Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the dam only received 22.5mm of rain so far this month, compared with an expected 300mm.

“Heavy rain in several areas in the state did not help to raise the water level at the Air Itam dam, which is now at stage three of the critical level because there has been no rain at the dam area.

“The water capacity at the dam dropped compared with the previous week, when it was at 32%. This is because of the higher consumption over the past week due to the demand during the festive season,” he told reporters after attending the Bukit Bendera parliamentary constituency’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri carnival here.

He said the state government had instructed the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) to continue implementing the Air Itam dam action plan 2024, which involves four measures, including minimising the release of raw water from the Air Itam dam to the Air Itam water treatment plant (LRA) from 75 million litres per day (MLD) to 11 MLD to maintain an effective capacity at the dam.

On cloud seeding, he said the state government does not plan to implement the initiative since it has been raining for the past few weeks in Penang.

In February, PBAPP said the effective capacity of the Air Itam dam stood at 32.4%.