Patience runs thin for thousand
Published on: Wednesday, November 30, 2022
By: Sidney Skinner
Golden Hill residents collecting water from a water tanker sent by the Water Department.
Kota Kinabalu: Angry residents of some 1,000 homes at Golden Hill Garden, Taman Waja and Taman Seri Kepayan demand clear answers from the Water Department following weeks of dry taps and being given “multiple excuses” for their predicament.They were initially told that there was nothing wrong with the distribution and even the possibility of high turbidity of river water.
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“Either they don’t know or they are not telling,” said a doctor residing at Golden Hill. They don’t seem to realise that we are paying their salaries and that we have a new government now that means business.”
A department spokesman said it is checking the distribution mains along the Penampang By-pass, near the Kuan Loon Tian Temple, for leaks.
He admitted being aware of supply woes in three Kepayan Ridge neighbourhoods for more than four days. It reduced to a trickle or completely ran out since Friday.
“Our staff found that tap water wasn’t reaching many of the meters at these neighbourhoods on Monday. This was puzzling as there was no problem with supply at 88 Marketplace (nearby).”
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“Adjustments were made to the valves along the distribution line in this part of Kepayan Ridge to try and alleviate the problem.
“Our personnel observed that that the pipes leading to meters at Golden Hill Garden, Taman Waja and Taman Seri Kepayan were not dry on Monday.
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“However, the strength of the supply was not strong enough to reach the first and second floors of some homes.”
Asked if it was triggered by downpours in the State Capital, he said operations at its Treatment Plants had not been shut down due to the high turbidity of the raw water channelled to these facilities.
“Our staff are also looking into the possibility of pilferage. The agency’s tankers had been deployed to deliver treated water to some of these neighbourhoods.
One tanker had capacity for 4,000 litres while the other up to 9,000 litres of clean water. The Department would consider having similar trips made to Taman Waja and Taman Seri Kepayan.
“We urge the public to report any irregularities directly to us so that we can attend to their grievances as soon as possible.”
One disgruntled Golden Hill homeowner said most of his neighbours had wearied of contacting the Department’s Careline over and over again as their supply became worse, instead of improving.
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