GOOD water management in Penang has had a long and interesting history since Sir Francis Light first commissioned the development of the first simple water supply and distribution system in the Settlement of Penang Island in 1804. “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.”  Read here. The reservoir of the Penang Waterfall was constructed in the gardens in 1892 by British engineer J MacRitchie. It was reconstructed in 1950.