THE Water Department is trying to minimise the inconvenience caused by dry taps in Sipitang, after the 5,000 consumers based in the district were hit by a series of supply disruptions this week.
Two of agency’s treatment plants were separately shutdown for a few hours – one yesterday, the other on Monday – while a pipe burst occurred in one part of the town on Tuesday.
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A Department spokesman said activities at its Mesapol Plant temporarily ground to a halt yesterday to allow one of the intakes at the facility to be cleaned.
“A notice was sent out over social media at 9am on Wednesday to alert members of the public in some parts of Sipitang to use their reserves sparingly,” he said.
Among the villages impacted by the shutdown were Kg Pelakat, Kg Lumut, Kg Guruh-Guruh, Kg Menangah, Kg Buang Sayang, Kg Lubuk Weston, Kg Lingkungan, Kg Meraba, Kg Inuman, Kg Naluyan, Kg Lubuk Darat, Kg Sungai 3, Kg Sapok, , Kg Melalia, Kg Aru 9, Kg Sisim, Kg Cina Mesapol, Kg Kalamauh Mesapol, Kg Dual Mesapol, Kg Berambai and Kg Babangkon Mesapol.
Those living and working along Jalan SMPO-Pelakat, Jalan Mesapol-Sipitang, Jalan SMPO 1 and Jalan SESB Sipitang also felt the pinch.
The other affected areas included those in Tunggul Tinggi, Masjid Pekan, Lubok Laut, Simpang Ulu Sipitang, Bukit Timah, Mukim Weston, the Mesapol and Zone Usuk Zone. Occupants at Taman Muhibbah, Taman Desaria, the KAKA Housing and Yayasan Sabah Sipitang were also not spared.
The spokesman said individuals, involved with construction of the Pan Borneo highway, inadvertently damaged the distribution line along Jalan Beaufort-Sipitang, near Kg Naluyan, on Tuesday.
“We received several calls from the public about a ‘geyser’ which could be seen for meters around the junction to the village,” he said. “A preliminary check revealed that the contractor’s ‘Hitachi’ excavator had accidentally hit our pipe here.
“A 16inch air-valve looked as if it was about to fall off from a section of the 600mm water main.”
He said the supply was temporarily shut off that afternoon to allow the Department’s technicians to deal with the damaged “mid-steel-cement-lined (MSCL)” pipe.
“The repairs were only completed yesterday, with our technicians welding the new valve back where it should be.”
He said Department’s personnel advised the contractor concerned on how to prevent similar accidents from recurring.
“Contractors, carrying out major infrastructure and development projects should give us advance notice of their activities. This will go a long way to minimising any disruptions which may inadvertently be caused by their work.”
On Monday, the spokesman said operations at the Kg Ulau Water Treatment Plant were hampered by unexpected electricity outages.
He declined to elaborate on the nature of the blackouts, saying that the agency was working together with the relevant parties to minimise such incidents.
“A notice was issued at around 12.30pm on Monday to forewarn all our consumers in the district about potential water disruptions in their areas,” he said.
Under normal circumstances, he said, the Kg Ulau Plant had an output of between 18 million litres daily (MLD), while its Mesapol counterpart generated between three MLD.
