Pumps breakdown behind water woes in Kunak
Published on: Thursday, September 17, 2020
By: Sidney Skinner
Tap water being delivered via tanker to some of the 5,000 plus consumers in Kunak.
THE breakdown of the pumps at the Kalumpang 2 water treatment plant in Kunak has given rise to the supply woes in the district.Some consumers have noticed that their supply has been irregular for the past fortnight.
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Others, including those living in Kg Wawasan, Kg Panggi and Kg Ulu-Madai, however, have been without tap water for days on end.
A Water Department spokesman said the agency had been facing an uphill task trying to keep up with the demand from the more than 5, 000 consumers in the district since the pumps malfunctioned at the beginning of September.
He explained that the mechanisms inside these devices had burnt out due to wear and tear as these devices had been in use for more than a decade.
“Only one of the four pumps at the plant is operational until repairs can be completed,” he said.
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“We hope to have the remaining pumps operational again soon.”
The spokesman said the Department was in the process of arranging to have these devices replaced.
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“However, the purchase of the new pumps can only be finalised next month, once the bi-election is over.”
The spokesman explained that the output from the plant had dropped between 42-50 per cent since the pumps first malfunctioned at the beginning of September.
Under normal circumstances, about 12 million litres of treated water is produced daily, according to him.
“In the meantime, we will have supplies delivered, via tanker, to the affected consumers.
To this end, he said, the Department had engaged the services of four private tanker operators to assist in these efforts.
“Their vehicles are being deployed together with our lone tanker which has a capacity of 10, 000 litres.”
He urged those who were finding it difficult to get by to contact the Department’s branch office directly so that treated water could be sent to their area.
RAHMAN of Kunak said consumers living in the Mile 4 area of the district had been experiencing water woes for “several days.”
He said he and his family had to travel to town to buy bottled water.
“It is impossible to make do with the supply from the taps in my home, when the supply is so unreliable,” he said.
At the time that he contacted Hotline for help, however, his household was entering the fifth day without a supply.
“Prior to this, we used to receive tap water for a few hours in the morning and afternoon. The taps in my house would run dry for the rest of the day.”
Rahman said one of his neighbours had gone to the Department’s office, while he had been phoning the agency.
“This has not done anything to improve the situation.
“My neighbour was referred to one of the private tanker operators who told him that he might have to wait for some time before a supply could be sent to his house.”
He said his friend was made to understand that the individual could only service 20 consumers in a day.
“My neighbour was told that he could ‘jump the queue’ if he was willing to pay the operator RM50.”
The spokesman described this surcharge as a “gross impropriety”
He said the Department’s staff would be keeping an eye on the manner in which the deliveries were carried out.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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