Water supply in Suai, Niah to be fully restored soon

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KUCHING: The disruption of water supply at a few areas in Suai and Niah is expected to be fixed this week.

The Ministry of Utilities through the Rural Water Supply Department (JBLAB), said in a press statement that it had noted the issue  reported in the newspapers.

“The disruption was caused by the damaged mains due to the road construction works. The department allowed Lebuhraya Borneo Utara in May last year to carry out the works, and so far there have been five broken pipe cases reported due to the road construction work in Suai and Niah areas.

Water being distributed to the affected areas.

“The water treatment plant was also reported to have suffered a mechanical failure on June 5, which caused a reduced water supply capacity. However, the situation has been fixed by 2am the next day. The  plant was already operating as normal on June 6, but some areas are still undergoing ‘air lock’ and ‘flushing’ works.

“The water pressure to Rh Robert (one of longhouses affected by the disruption), meanwhile, took some time to recover. Also, the water transmission process is being carried at the affected areas to ensure the villagers get their water supply for daily use.

“The JBLAB has made five trips to distribute water (one trip equivalent to 1,200 gallons) based on demand in the affected areas such as Rh Robert and nearby areas like Suai Health Clinic and SK Batu Telingai,” the statement said.

The ministry is concerned about the problem and has prepared two key action plans, namely immediate and medium-term action to improve water supply in the Suai area.

“The immediate action is to improve the existing water distribution system.

“For the medium-term plans, two projects have been and will be implemented, namely the People’s Project under the NR2 Package, and Suai Phase 2 Complex Water Supply Project.

“The People’s Project involves the upgrading of existing mechanical components of the Suai Water Treatment Plant, and the construction of a new booster pump station near the Forest Research Centre in Sg Sebubok Niah. The project is expected to be completed by October 2020.

“The second project, Suai Phase 2 Complex Water Supply Project, involves the construction of three tanks in Sepupok, Batang Suai and at KM125. The project is expected to be completed by mid-2022,” the statement added.

Should there be any a problem of water disruption, the ministry requests the public to contact the JBALB  office here at 085-442204.