Reservoirs proposed for all water treatment plants

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Bung Moktar (right) and Edward (middle) inspecting the Beaufort Satu water treatment plant.

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin will be tabling  recommendations and new approaches that can be applied towards resolving the water supply issue in Sabah in the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The Works Minister stressed that new approaches must be implemented in order to fully resolve the long time water supply issue which has been burdening rakyat in the state.

“What is being done now is no longer appropriate and has not been able to resolve the water supply problem effectively. In fact, it had created more problems and made the rakyat angry,” said Bung Moktar after inspecting the water treatment plant in Kampung Jempanga Beaufort on Tuesday.

Bung Moktar added that he had discussed the matter with state Water Department director Edward Lingkapo because the rakyat are undergoing a lot of problems now and this issue of water supply must not be an added burden on them.

Therefore the government must act immediately to ensure that the rakyat enjoy undisrupted clean water supply, he said.

“I will be bringing this matter up in the state Cabinet meeting tomorrow and I will be recommending some matters to the government among which is the need to construct water reservoirs for all water treatment plants in the state,” he said.

According to him, back in the 1980s no thought was put into building reservoirs as the rivers then were unpolluted.

“However the situation has changed and rapid development has caused rivers to be polluted. As I have mentioned before, 23 out of the 84 water treatment plants in the state are not operational because of polluted rivers,” he lamented.

This was also the case for Beaufort in the past which is why there is a proposal to construct reservoirs in the district, Bung Moktar said.

He also disclosed that water supply problem in Beaufort has worsened since the district was flooded last month and the Water Department is in the process of repairing the Beaufort Satu water treatment plant.

Repair works are expected to be completed by the end of the week, he said, adding that once operational again, the plant will be able to produce additional 10MLD compared to the current production of 25 MLD.

Once the pump is fully repaired, the issue of disrupted water supply in Beaufort can be addressed, Bung Moktar said and added that the Water Department has ordered a replacement pump for the one that was damaged by sediment during the previous flood and it is expected to arrive in a couple of weeks.

He also said that the department will continue to send water tankers to villages which are having issues with the water supply.

Also present during the inspection were Water Department director Edward, Works Ministry’s Permanent Secretary II Harun Mahali and Beaufort district’s water engineer.