Tap’s dry: Residents waiting by buckets to collect water at Taman Puncak Manggatal in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: The people here have been advised to store water to cope with demand during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri period amid peak demand by consumers on the west coast of the state, says Deputy Chief Minister (III) Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
The Sabah Works Minister said water production has reached maximum levels and the Water Department is continuing to monitor the distribution to minimise disruptions.
“At the moment, the amount of water supply has reached its maximum level. Nevertheless, the Water Department will be monitoring for any drop in water pressure, such as incidents of burst pipes during the Hari Raya peak period.
“The public is advised to store water during this period as water consumption is expected to be high,” he said when asked about measures being taken to minimise water supply disruptions during the festivities.
Kota Kinabalu City and its surrounding areas on the west coast of Sabah have been hit by water disruptions ranging from dry taps to low pressure.
Many areas within the city and the neighbouring districts of Penampang, Putatan and Tuaran have been hit by a lack of water supply or low water pressure since late last year.
Measures to improve water production capacity at the Telibong water treatment plant by this month have been hit by technical delays.
Meanwhile, residents in Kelantan also expressed worry over water disruptions during the Hari Raya festival period.
A Malay newspaper reported that approximately 1,000 residents around Kuala Besar have been affected by a scarcity of water for approximately 10 years.
As a result, the residents had to store water in tanks of their own.
Housewife S. Rohaya Ibrahim, 46, said the water was brought in by lorries.
The paper said the residents also dug tube wells to get water.
“However, the water looks rusty and smells bad. It cannot be used for drinking. So we use it only for washing utensils or bathing,” she added.
In Negri Sembilan, disruptions in the water supply have been affecting residents in Taman Jimah Jaya near Port Dickson for about two months. The problem has been blamed on burst pipes.
A resident, Roslan Md Nor, 59, said he is worried as Hari Raya is drawing closer.
“Water cuts always happen two to three times per week. The standard response from the authorities is that it was caused by burst pipelines. How long can we tolerate this?” he said.
