1804

SIR FRANCIS Light commissioned the development of the first simple water supply and distribution system in the Settlement of Penang Island (then known as the Prince of Wales Island). It was the first of its kind in the country and was able to cater for the need of the 10,000 odd population on the Island.

Water was sourced from the waterfall in the Penang Botanic Garden and supplied via a long brick aqueduct to the town. Earthenware pipes were laid through the streets as distribution pipes to the individual houses.

1892

ALTHOUGH water was abundant and generally of a good quality, there were insufficient pressure and the water in rainy weather was charged with sand and silt. Hence, there was a need to construct a reservoir to store and supply clean water, when the river water by passed after heavy rain. The Waterfall Reservoir- the first reservoir in Settlement of Penang Island was constructed and completed in 1894. Another reservoir in Air Itam was built in 1914 for the same purpose.

1900

UNIVERSAL Water metering system was introduced in Penang.

1919

A WATER Department within the George Town City Council was established, headed by a Municipal Water Engineer, Mr.J. D. Fettes. In the 1920's, a notable achievement by the department was the development of water resources on the north side of the Island, where a 7km pipelines was built inside a tunnel. A 600mm diameter pipelines brought water from the streams of the Batu Ferringi Valley to a service reservoir in Tanjung Bungah, known as Guillemard Reservoir.

1929

PENANG’S first water treatment plant at Air Itam commenced its operations.

1962

PENANG'S first dam, the Air Itam Dam, was officially opened by the (then) Governor of Penang, TYT Y.M.Raja Tun Uda Al-Haj bin Raja Muhammad.

1973

ON JANUARY 1,1973, Pihak Berkuasa Air Pulau Pinang (PBA), a state statutory authority was established. The role of authority was to supply treated water within the State of Penang (both the island and the mainland). Prior to PBA's establishment, water supply on the island was under the jurisdiction of the George Town City Council whilst the Public Works Department (JKR) supplied water on the mainland. THE MUDA River Water Scheme was initiated, with its Phase I consisting of the construction of a barrange at Bumbung Lima, a pumping station at Lahar Tiang, a treatment plant at Sungai Dua and a submarine pipeline to Penang which was completed at the costs of RM42 million. The Scheme was subsequently augmented under Phase 2A with a further expenditure of RM 12 million to increase supply to 2504.57 million litres a day.

1985

PENANG'S second dam, the Mengkuang Dam was officially opened by the (then) Yang Di Pertua Negeri Pulau Pinang, TYT Tun Datuk Dr Haji Awang bin Hassan on December 14, 1985. Located on the mainland, the dam has a catchment area of 3.9sq km and a gross storage capacity of 23.6 billion litres ( almost 10times the capacity of the Air Itam Dam).

1999

PBA WAS CORPORATISED into Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang Sdn Bhd, (PBAPP)a private limited company established under the Companies Act 1965, and wholly owned by the State Government of Pulau Pinang through its investment arm, State Secetary Penang. PBAPP was granted on operating licence pursuant to Section 16 of the Water Supply Enactment 1988 to operate as the water supplier in the State of Penang. Under Section 4 (2) of the Penang Water Authority (successor Company) Enactment 198, selected immovable property including buildings, reservoirs, treatment plants and all superstructures and infrastructure directly related to operations of PBAPP was transferred from PBA to PBAPP. However, immovable property which were deemed strategic in nature and of national interest(including dams, recreation areas, catchment lands, canals and water mains), remained under the purview of the State Government.

PENANG'S third dam, the Teluk Bahang Dam, was completed as scheduled at a cost of RM135 million. It was launched by the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia,YAB Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi on November 26, 1999. The capacity of the Teluk Bahang Dam, at 19.24 billion litres, is approximately 8 times that of the Air Itam Dam. The key benefits of the latest dam include increasing in-state water storage capacity, providing strategic storage for emergency use (especially during the dry season ) and the creation of a new green recreational area for the people and tourists in Teluk Bahang.

2000

PBA HOLDINGS BHD (PBAHB) was incorporated n May,25, 2000. PBAHB was incorporated as an investment holding company to carry out all business activities for PBA Group of Companies.

2001

THE CHIEF Minister of Penang, YAB Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Khoon launched the Customer Services Center and officiated the opening of PBSPP’s new Prai complex on October2, 2001.

2002

On April 18, 2002 PBA Holdings Bhd made its debut on the Bursa Malaysia Main Board with a 40 sen premium over its initial public offer(IPO) price of RM1.30. PBA Holdings Bhd was the most heavily traded counter for that day.

2003

PBAPP set-up the first 24-Hours Contact Centre for Water Supply Company in Malaysia. The Contact Centre is located at its Perai Complex and manned by 19 personnel around the clock

2003

May 2003, PBAPP become the first water supply organisation in the country to received multi-site certifications for the treatment and the supply of water with the ISO 9001:2000 series. PBAPP received two international certifications namely from UKAS (United Kingdom) and from DAR (Germany).