SANDAKAN: The State Government through its agencies is working to resolve the water quality problem here in stages after three large pumps have been installed at the Segaliud water treatment plant in March this year.
Karamunting Assemblyman George Hiew said Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ir. Shahelmey Yahya informed him of this when he met Shahelmey on Wednesday.
Shahelmey, who is State Minister of Works, said the Ministry had installed three pumps at the Segaliud water treatment plant in the middle of March.
George said he was made to understand that the damaged gate control system at the plant, which caused the water supply in Sandakan to be salty, had been repaired and the salty water from the Segaliud River would no longer flow into the Betotan Dam.
“However, there are complaints that the water supply in Sandakan is still salty, which Shahelmey explained could be due to the dry season with a low amount of rain, and therefore would take longer to dissolve the salty water that had entered the dam before.
“The existing water in the dam cannot be released because it will cause a water shortage crisis in Sandakan. Therefore, we can only dissolve the salty water slowly, until it’s completely gone,” he said.
According to George, the Segaliud water treatment plant appears to be insufficient in terms of its capacity to accommodate the water consumption of Sandakan’s growing population.
“Thus, the State Government should find a suitable site to build five large water storage tanks, to solve the problem of water supply disruption.
“I was also made to understand that the Sabah and Sandakan Water Department submitted reports on the water quality in Sandakan to Shahelmey every week.
“I believe the water quality problem in Sandakan will be solved in stages,” he said.
