Don’t treat toilets as dustbins: Council
Published on: Thursday, May 19, 2022
By: Sidney Skinner
One of the workers personally entered the manhole to clear the blockages inside.
The District Council has called on rate-payers in one part of Penampang to refrain from treating their toilets as dustbins as this is partly contributing to the sewerage woes in their neighbourhood.A spokesman for the agency said foreign objects, flushed into the sewer pipes, had repeatedly disrupted the operations of the sewage treatment plant (STP) servicing this area.
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He said the mechanisms at the STP had been jammed with everything from the sanitary pads to clumps of hair and various household items.
“A hand-towel snagged on a rotating blade which impacted the effectiveness of the pumps to draw the sewage to this facility some time ago,” he said.
“During these Covid-times, it is not uncommon to find that wads of wet-tissue had got in the way of the smooth operation of the equipment inside.”
He said the Council’s workers had employed various strategies to try and prevent the mechanisms from being damaged by these objects.
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“Nevertheless, they are constantly having to clear blockages inside the STP.”
The contents inside the septic tanks was not receding because the sewage pumps were rendered inoperative.
He said the agency would try to make the public there aware of the inconvenience created by their “lack of discipline and inconsiderate” actions.
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The spokesman said the operations of the STP had also been impacted by power irregularities.
This caused effluent to escape into some of the drains around Taman Penampang Phase 2 for a few days recently, according to him.
“The two pumps at the STP could not function properly because insufficient electricity was being channelled to the facility.
“Owing to this, the contents of the septic tanks did not recede and many of the manholes began to overflow.”
He said the pumps operated on a three-phase-system but the incoming electricity supply could only support two of these phases.
“Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) was alerted to this problem when this we first realised what was happening.
“The firm’s technicians came to check on the company’s installations near the STP several days later.
“After they had made some repairs, including replacing a fuse which had blown, the pumps began operating as they should.”
He said this was not the first time that the devices had been impacted by these electricity woes.
“This happened once before earlier this year. However, in that instance, we did not have to wait long for SESB to come to the neighbourhood.”
When asked about the maintenance schedule for the pumps, the spokesman said the Council performed this work as and when it became necessary to do so.
A SESB spokesman refuted the suggestion about the lengthy delay in attending to the supply irregularities in May.
He said SESB staff went to Taman Penampang Phase 2 a few hours after they learned what was transpiring in the neighbourhood. A check of the company’s records revealed that this was done on the same day that the Council brought these problems to SESB’s attention, according to him.
“This was the first that we knew that something was wrong with our supply,” he said.
Effluent from manholes in Taman Penampang Phase 2 was found to be escaping into the housing drains.
“Our technicians found that an outgoing wire from the fuse pole to the meter had snapped in two.”
He said a new power line was put up in place of the damaged one, before the supply to the STP could be restored.
ALBERT of Penampang said effluent had been oozing out of the manhole in the common area outside his backyard fence.
“I have been forced to keep the doors and windows in this part of my home closed to prevent the stench from coming inside,” he said.
“Not only is the foul smell a nuisance, but it is also most unhealthy.
“This manhole and a few others around the neighbourhood have been overflowing for days. ”
Albert said the Council had been informed about this problem but, so far, no action has been forthcoming.
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