LABUAN: Thousands of water account holders here are again experiencing dry taps for a few days due to the unresolved problem of malfunctioning pump control switch at the Pulau Enoe main distribution water tank.
The water supply disruption since Wednesday is affecting the Ramadan and Aidilfitri preparations of the Muslim community in 24 villages and the town centre, as well as the food and beverage business activities.
The Labuan Water Division, in a statement Thursday, said water supply would be restored after completion of the repair works and expected to be gradually channelled to the affected areas in the next two days.
However, the areas unaffected are Kg Sg Miri/Sg. Pagar, Universiti Malaysia Sabah Labuan International Campus (UMSKAL), Rancha-Rancha and Patau-Patau.
Housewife Siti Nurain Abu Bakar, 49, said the water disruption was from Wednesday afternoon, and she and her family had to depend on the depleting supply from the water tank in their house.
“The water supply assistance cannot be channelled directly to the water tank in our house…we have to walk to the water tank provided by the local authority at the roadside.
“The supply disruption every month since the last several years, and especially during this Ramadan is distressing. It affects our preparations for the breaking of fast and we end up buying bottled drinking water for our daily consumption.
“I hope the water supply will be restored soonest as the water in our tanks will not last long and may be used up today (Thursday).
“The situation will be worse when we want to have our pre-dawn meal tomorrow (Friday),” she said.
A kiosk operator at a food court here, Norlela Osman, 36, said she had to temporarily close her business operation due to the water disruptions.
“We are a big family, with my parents and nine siblings and four of my children living in the house. From where do you expect us to get water? We might have to go to my husband’s office to bathe and get water from there for drinking and cooking,” she lamented.
