THE Water Department is keeping tabs on the supply to one part of Kunak, following feedback about the poor quality of the tap water here.
The Kg Simpang Empat consumer, who contacted Hotline, questioned whether the water supplied to her kitchen and bathrooms had been properly treated, as it had been “brown and dirty” for the past fortnight. Her complaint has been forwarded to the agency.
A Department spokesman said the distribution mains along different roads in the village were flushed after the agency learned about the resident’s concerns.
“This was done to minimise the presence of sediment in the supply reaching this part of the town,” he said.
“The technician carrying out the flushing even got into the one of the sluice valve chambers to make the necessary adjustments.”
He said random checks were later made to gauge the condition of the incoming supply there.
“Our staff confirmed that water was reaching the meters outside the homes they went to. At the time, the pressure of the supply was deemed to be acceptable.”
He said, the agency was also looking into the possibility of having the “clear water tank” at its Sg Kalumpang II Treatment Plant cleaned at a later date. Consumers in Kg Simpang Empat draw their supply from the Plant.
Nevertheless, the spokesman said, the Department would continue to monitor the quality of the supply to the village to allay any doubts consumers might have about the safety of the tap water to the area, according to him.
“Our personnel have also been asked to be extra diligent in doing this over the coming Chinese New Year holidays as we don’t want any supply-related irregularities to mar the celebrations during this period.”
RYANNA of Kunak said the colour of the tap water in her house resembled a chocolate beverage.
“It looks like Milo,” she said.
“This has been happening on and off for the past two weeks. On some days, I get ‘Milo Kau’ (Thick Milo) when I turn on the tap. On other days, I get ‘Milo Si’ (Light Milo).”
She shared her observations with one of her neighbours, who was dismayed by the lack of empathy displayed by the agency’s staff towards what had been happening in Kg Simpang Empat.
Her friend personally lodged a report about these water woes at the Department’s office in the town.
“Instead of offering to help, the staff told my neighbour to speak to his colleagues at the Treatment Plant as these personnel were the ones who controlled and looked after the supply,” Ryanna said.
She said the water quality had gradually been deteriorating since the end of January, when the Kg Simpang Empat had begun receiving an intermittent supply.
She said she had been forced to bathe and cook with bottled water as she was concerned about the negative impact of using the questionable supply from the agency.
Ryanna said she had been washing her clothes at a laundrette in Kunak.
“I hope the Department will improve the cleanliness of the water being channelled to the village.”
In previous Hotline complaints regarding the poor quality of the supply, these occurrences have generally been preceded by a water disruption, with the sediment encrusted on the inside of the distribution pipes stirred up when the supply was restored later.
Over the past month and a half, the spokesman said, there had been instances where the supply to Kg Simpang Empat had been impacted by emergency works and water reductions.
He said emergency works were twice performed in the village in February – on February 6 and February 4.
“A damaged multiple stand for a 100mm UPVC [Unplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride] pipe was repaired on the first occasion, while a leaking 100mm MSCL [Mild Steel Cement Lined] pipe was dealt with on the other.”
The high turbidity of the river water, on the other hand, had resulted in a drop in output from the Sg Kalumpang II Treatment Plant, according to him.
“A check of our records shows that this happened on Jan 30, Jan 13 and Jan 9.”
Under normal circumstances, the spokesman said between nine to 12 million litres of water was produced daily at the Sg Kalumpang II facility.
