Kinarut, Penampang water woes due to weather, murky river
Published on: Wednesday, November 23, 2022
By: Sidney Skinner
The pressure of the supply reaching this part of Kinarut was found to be weak.
The Water Department is keeping tabs on the treated water being channelled to parts of Kinarut and Penampang, following feedback about the erratic supply which consumers in these areas have been receiving.A spokesman for the agency admitted that there had been fluctuations in the output from its Kogopon Treatment Plant due to the high turbidity of the Papar River water.
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He said the Plant’s production had been inconsistent over the past month because of the inclement weather in the district.
“Treatment activities have ground to a halt, whenever the heavy rains elevated the murkiness of the raw water to unacceptable levels,” he said.
He said, over the past month, the Department had issued multiple notices to inform the public in Papar about the temporary drop in output.
Under normal circumstances, the Plant generated a total of 40 million litres of treated water daily, according to him.
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“The intermittent operations at the facility contributed to the low pressure of the supply at some premises, while not a drop of water was available at others.
He said several homes in Kg Langsat, Kinarut, fell into the former category.
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“The water woes which the owners experienced were further aggravated because their residences were located towards the end of the distribution line.”
JOAN, who lives in the village, said she only received water during the wee hours and this supply only lasted for a few hours.
“It is very inconvenient for me to carry out chores around the house, when the taps run dry during the day,” she said.
She said she had wearied of bringing these water woes to the Department’s attention.
“The staff can only advise me to be
patient while their colleagues in the technical section get to the bottom of this problem.”
The spokesman said a check was made of the distribution mains, leading to Joan’s house, shortly after the agency learned about her grouse.
“Any air locks inside were cleared to allow our personnel, who went down, to gauge the strength of the supply,” he said.
“They confirmed that water was reaching her meter but noted that the pressure was weak.”
He explained that, during the day, some in Kinarut – including those in Kg Langsat – were likely find that the pressure of their supply was weak or, worse still, that their taps had run dry.
“Once offices and shops close for the day, the pressure at these same premises improves.
“This is because more consumers draw tap water during office hours, rather than at night, and our Kogopon Plant cannot keep up with the day time demand.”
He said the Department was keeping an eye on the supply to the village to ensure that the consumer and her neighbours received some treated water.
Meanwhile, a Penampang homeowner has been advised to engage a private contractor to check on the condition of the water pipes inside his compound, following a complaint about the lack of a supply to his home.
Another spokesman said the agency failed to find anything amiss with the supply to the premises or at its pump-house in this part of the district.
He said the pumps and control panel for these devices were working as they should.
“Our personnel did not find any obstructions inside the distribution mains leading to the meter outside his fence.
“This pipe was not damaged and the powerful jet of water inside indicated that the strength of the supply, at the time, was good.”
He strongly suspected that there might be a problem with the pipes between the device and the consumer’s house.”
“The onus is on the resident to attend to this matter as the Department is only responsible for any burst or blockage involving the water mains before the meter.”
RAMSIE of Penampang bemoaned the dry taps inside his home, saying that not a drop had been available for close to a week.
He said this situation was especially difficult for his family as he had a young child.
“We do not even have enough water to use when we pray,” he said.
Ramsie had queried the Department‘s staff about the reason for his water woes, only to find that the agency’s staff were in the dark as to what was causing these problems.
He claimed he did not see a notification about a scheduled supply disruption online or in any of the newspapers.
“I am at a loss to understand why this has happened as most of my neighbours are still able to receive a supply.”
Ramsie provided Hotline with the location of his home which was forwarded to the Department.
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