THE Water Department is monitoring the supply to one part of Kunak, after some commercial and residential consumers in Kg Simpang Empat spoke out about the “brown and dirty” water which they had been receiving, on and off, for the past three weeks.
Some wondered whether earthwork being carried out at the site where a new bridge was coming up – near the Sg Kalumpang II Water Treatment Plant – might have given rise to the deteriorating quality of the supply coming from the taps at their premises.
Others were under the impression that their tap-water could have been affected by excavation activities taking place upstream along the river, as part of misguided attempts to look for gold and other minerals.
Each of these individuals provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding their grievances. This information was forwarded to the agency.
A Department spokesman said it had been unaware about the poor quality of the supply reaching Kg Simpang Empat.
“We did not receive any reports from the public about this irregularity,” he said.
“If the water had indeed been dirty, our staff, living in the village, would have surely brought this matter to our attention, but we didn’t hear from them either.”
He said checks were made of each of the consumer’s premises, shortly after the agency was contacted by the media.
“At the time, the tap-water was found to be clear and free of any visible impurities.”
Nevertheless, in light of the feedback from the consumers, he said, the distribution mains along different roads in Kg Simpang Empat were flushed.
“This was done to minimise the presence of sediment in the supply reaching this part of the town.
“In some cases, the technicians carrying out the flushing even got into 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 Plant cleaned at a later date.
Consumers in Kg Simpang Empat draw their supply from the Plant.
Nevertheless, the spokesman said, the agency would continue to keep tabs on 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.
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, the supply to Kg Simpang Empat has been impacted by water reductions on multiple occasions.
“A check of our records shows that this happened on June 20, June 18, June 17, June 16, June 14 and June 12,” according to the spokesman.
He said the “kekeruhan air sungai yang tinggi (high turbidity of the river water)” resulted in a drop in output from the Sg Kalumpang II Plant, according to him.
Under normal circumstances, the spokesman said between nine to 12 million litres of water was produced daily at the facility.
Besides consumers in Kg Simpang Empat, rural communities in Kg Kunak Tiga, Kg Kunak Darat, Kg Kabog, Kg Getah, Kg Sungai Atas, Kg Bagiang and Kg Jaya Baru also felt the pinch from the reduction.
Those living and working around the town, Madai and Pangi areas were not spared either.
The affected residential properties included Taman Kunak Kaya, Taman Sri Idaman and the Government Quarters.
