Water supply to Sandakan, disrupted since Saturday, is expected to be restored in stages after the Segaliud water treatment plant (LRA) resumed operations last night, Bernama reported.
Sandakan MP Vivian Wong said the Segaliud LRA had been relying on a generator to operate over the past few days.
This resulted in water rationing being implemented as only one pump was functioning and capable of supplying just 80 million litres per day (mld), compared to its original normal capacity of 140mld.
“The Sabah water department (JANS) said this morning that two out of the three pumps were operational.
“Water supply will be channelled to areas that are critical and have not had any supply for the past five days,” she told Bernama here today.
Wong said residents in the highly populated Kampung Sim-Sim, which has not received any water supply for the past five days, began getting water supply from 2pm today.
However, she expressed concern as the pipeline was at risk of bursting if the water pressure is unstable because many of the pipes are old.
As such, residents are advised to use water prudently over the next few days until the water supply is fully restored.
Wong said a team of volunteers had been working hard to deliver water supply using water tankers to affected areas like Sungai Sibuga and Taman Sejati Utama over the past three days.
JANS, through its Facebook page, announced today that the Segaliud LRA was now receiving stable electricity supply and had resumed its operations at about 9pm last night, after repair work on the 275kV Kolopis-Segaliud transmission line was completed.
A landslide, caused by heavy rain, had caused a disruption in the transmission line.
JANS said the current output capacity is estimated at 130mld and the Sandakan water department is striving to stabilise and increase the water level at the Pengimbang reservoir in Kebun Cina.
