KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government should immediately undertake to replace old water pipes across the state in line with its water supply renewal plan, says Sandakan MP Vivian Wong.
She said it is necessary to speed up the replacement to reduce the severe water shortages in many parts of Sabah, including the east coast Sandakan district.
She said the disruptions, ranging from dry taps to low water pressure, severely affected households as well as businesses.
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In Sandakan earlier on Wednesday (July 12), she said the Sri Harapan Old Folks Home was suddenly hit by a water shortage after taps went dry.
Her office helped by requesting water tankers to alleviate the shortage.
"Water supply disruptions have been occurring too frequently in Sandakan.
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"Most are caused by old pipes bursting, resulting in low pressure or sudden disruptions.
"This has affected the lives of the people of Sandakan." she said, adding that the most recent incident involved burst pipes at Batu 19 on Saturday (July 8).
The situation was compounded by scheduled maintenance at the Segaliud Water Treatment Plant on Wednesday (July 12), she said.
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She urged the state Water Department to put standard operating procedures in place to ensure sufficient water is supplied to all consumers as many of them did not have reserve tanks and had to rely on bottled water for cooking and drinking.
"The department must prioritise supply to Duchess of Kent Hospital and homes for the elderly to ensure their daily operations are not affected," she added.
