Kota Kinabalu: Water supply interruptions in the State’s west coast areas will be a thing of the past once the laying of new pipes are completed, according to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmy Yahya.
In the meantime, he said, affected consumers would have to bear with supply disruptions.
He said both the Public Works Department and the Sabah Water Department are hoping to complete the pipe-laying work schedules by next month.
“Land issues are delaying the Urgent Water Supply Scheme project at the Telibong Il treatment plant in Tamparuli…The plant is scheduled for completion next month but pipe-laying works have yet to start,” Shahelmy said at a Hari Raya open house hosted by Muhibbah Dua (M) Sdn Bhd.
The Works Minister added that the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Sabah Water Department are now negotiating the right of way to lay the pipes.
“With the completion of the treatment plant, water can be channelled using the old pipes but it will not be at full capacity until the new pipes are laid,” he explained.
Construction of the Telibong Il water treatment plant was supposed to have been completed last year.
“I have been monitoring this, and I hope (the pipe-laying works) will be done very soon.”
Touching on the tender process for Phase 2 of the Kogopon water plant, aimed at alleviating water woes towards Kota Kinabalu’s south in the Putatan and Papar districts, Shahelmy revealed that a contractor had been awarded the project.
Asked about the quickest solution to the water supply problem, he said:
“We have to wait for all these things. Of course, the firefighting solution is to transfer water by using tanker lorries but that is not a very good practice.
“Of course (I understand) the people are frustrated but this is the situation we are facing.
“We want to improve (the situation) and also get the construction of dams to be decided,” he said, referring to the Papar Dam, about 40km southwest of the State Capital, and Ulu Tomani in interior Sabah.
Feasibility studies for both projects were currently being carried out.
“(The dams) would determine our water supply in future. My advice to consumers is when we do the water rationing exercises, please store some water,” he said.
He said the Sabah Water Department was also trying to cut down on non-revenue water (NRW) through leakages by placing sensors in its pipe networks.
The department, he added, aimed to improve the detection of leakages and reduce NRW significantly.
— Nikko Fabian