Kota Kinabalu: Likas Assemblyman Tham Yun Fook urged the Sabah Works Minister to intervene directly in resolving a prolonged water leakage issue at Lorong Bersatu, Luyang-Damai, which has caused severe road damage and raised safety concerns among road users.
Tham said he viewed seriously a complaint raised by a doctor from KPJ Sabah regarding the issue, which has persisted for months without a conclusive solution.
According to him, his office has repeatedly lodged complaints and carried out follow-ups with all relevant agencies, including Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK), the Sabah Water Department, the Public Works Department (JKR), the Sewerage Department, as well as the road maintenance concession company, in efforts to identify and resolve the actual source of the leakage.
“Unfortunately, until today, the true source of the water flow has yet to be fully identified,” he said in a statement recently.
Tham said the Sabah Water Department had earlier informed his office that the overflowing water was not caused by a treated water pipe leak after tests found no chlorine content in the water.
At the same time, the Sewerage Department also confirmed that there were no sewerage pipelines located within the affected area.
Following the matter, Tham said he personally invited all relevant departments and agencies to conduct an integrated site inspection, including excavation works on the road, to trace the actual source of the leakage.
“However, the overflowing water issue continues to persist. Based on the latest report from JKR, efforts to identify the source of the leakage are still ongoing,” he said.
He warned that the prolonged issue not only caused public concern but also posed risks of more serious incidents such as soil subsidence or road collapse if the underground road structure continued to be affected by continuous water flow.
Tham also proposed that the government consider engaging technical experts from outside Sabah if necessary to ensure the actual source of the leakage could be identified promptly and that more effective remedial measures could be implemented.
“The safety of the people and road users must remain the top priority for all parties,” he said.
