Perumda Air Minum (AM) of Padang City is currently intensifying the rehabilitation project at the Gunung Pangilun Water Treatment Plant (WTP). This improvement step is taken as a long-term effort to restore the water treatment capacity that had declined, which now directly impacts the convenience of approximately 50,000 customers in the downtown area.
As the work progresses, customers have reported a decline in water quality, such as turbid water color, unpleasant odor, and reduced distribution flow. The President Director of Perumda AM Padang, Hendra Pebrizal, expressed apologies for the inconvenience experienced by residents. According to him, this constraint is due to the age of the Gunung Pangilun WTP, which has been operating since 1957 and already requires a total revitalization.
Hendra explained that the limitations of the current treatment system make it difficult for the facility to operate optimally when the turbidity of the river water rises sharply due to bad weather conditions. "With infrastructure that is nearly 70 years old, the existing equipment is becoming fragile and is no longer able to process raw water optimally in accordance with current standards," he said.
The rehabilitation project, which has been underway since late 2025 and is targeted for completion in December 2026, includes major repairs to 12 filter units as well as upgrades at the Kampung Koto Intake. The Technical Director of Perumda AM Padang, Andri Satria, emphasized that his party deliberately chose the option to keep water flowing despite the limited quality, rather than shutting down the service completely for months, which would be even more difficult for customers.
As a temporary solution, Perumda AM Padang urges the public not to use tap water for direct consumption, such as cooking or drinking, until conditions return to normal. For severely affected customers, the company provides a free clean water tanker service that can be accessed through the official complaint service by providing customer identification.
