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Kota Kinabalu: Problems with Water Department assets in Likas and Inanam left hundreds of consumers at residential properties in these areas without a supply for days.

A spokesman for the agency said a faulty sluice valve caused the dry taps at the first location, while a leaking distribution main triggered the water woes at the latter.

“The 300mm valve, near the junction to Bayview Heights, was found to be malfunctioning on Saturday,” he said.

He said the supply to several Likas neighbourhoods – including Taman Setia, Chanyai Villa, Taman Kwan Loke, Taman Public, Public Deluxe Villa, Happy Garden, Taman Yakim Jaya, Taman Melor, Tamam Keramat, Taman Tai Tet, Taman Maju Kota, Taman Antarabangsa, Taman Keramat and Taman Orkid Villa – was disrupted from 9pm that day.

The Department had a notice issued over social media four hours earlier to forewarn those living at these properties that they would be without tapwater for the duration of the remedial work.

“It took slightly over two days to remove the existing valve and have a new one put in place. 

“Our technicians completed the job on Tuesday night, with consumers regaining their supply in stages once sufficient pressure had built up in the mains servicing their neighbourhoods.”

He said the agency’s personnel made random checks of the main pipes around Likas afterwards.

“Flushing as carried out needed to clear any airlocks which may have formed in this part of the supply line. 

The spokesman said a different group of personnel had earlier dealt with a burst MSCL [Mid-Steel-Cement Lined] main which contributed to the almost week-long water woes in Ujana Kingfisher. 

“The affected pipe which had a diameter of 1,000mm, was located bear the bus stop outside the Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic in the Sepanggar area. We managed to complete the repairs several hours later.”

This is the second time over the past two weeks that Likas and Kingfisher consumers have had to reckon the lack of tapwater 

The supply to these areas was disrupted at the beginning of the month because of work to replace a “flowmeter” at its R13 reservoir, near Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

“This device is used to measure water usage by individual households or communities,” the spokesman explained.

Besides those in Ujana Kingfisher and Kg Likas, he said consumers at the Federal Administrative Complex, Alam Mesra, Kg Suang Parai and Kg Pulau Penampang also felt the impact from the replacement effort.