Monitoring dry taps in Manggatal, Tuaran
Published on: Thursday, March 07, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
The water mains around Taman Gudon in the midst of being flushed.
The Water Department is keeping tabs on the supply to a Manggatal neighbourhood and Tuaran village to mitigate the irregularities which consumers in these respective areas have been experiencing.
This action was prompted by feedback about the poor quality of the tap water at the former residential property, as well as the erratic supply at the latter.
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The Manggatal homeowner, who contacted Hotline, wondered if the water coming into his kitchen and bathrooms had actually been purified as it was ‘brown and dirty’.
On top of this, he said, there was an off-putting smell coming from the supply.
The Tuaran consumer, on the other hand, spoke out about the dry taps in the village.
Their grievances were forwarded to the agency.
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The Department spokesman said the supply line, servicing Taman Utara Gudon, was flushed after the agency learned what had been transpiring in the housing area.
“Our technicians carried out flushing at different sections of the water mains,” he said.
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“This was done to minimise the presence of sediment in the supply to the housing area.”
He said the agency’s staff later made random checks on the condition of the incoming supply there.
“They confirmed that water was reaching the meters outside the homes they went to. At the time, the pressure of the supply was deemed to be acceptable.
He said, in one or two cases, they were allowed to enter these premises so that they could get a first-hand look at the tap water.
“Our personnel observed, in this instance, that the supply was crystal clear.”
ABIN of Manggatal said the colour of the water in his house resembled a chocolate beverage.
“It looks like Milo,” he said. “This has been happening on and off for the past month.
“On some days, I get ‘Milo Kau’ (Thick Milo) when I turn on the tap. On other days, I get ‘Milo Si’ (Light Milo).”
He shared his observations with one of his neighbours who said she feared using the water to cook, let alone bathe her young son.
Abin was concerned about the negative impact of drinking such a questionable supply.
“I hope the Department will improve the cleanliness of the water being channelled to the neighbourhood.”
He said the water quality had gradually been deteriorating since the supply to the Taman Utara Gudon had become erratic in the first week of February.
“During this period, I only received some tap water at night.”
In previous Hotline complaints regarding the poor quality of the supply, these occurrences have generally been preceded by a water disruption, with the sediment encrusted on the inside of the distribution pipes stirred up when the supply was restored later.
Asked if periodic disruptions were to blame for what had been happening in Taman Utara Gudon, the spokesman declined to comment.
“We suspect that the impurities from the transmission pipes might have entered the storage tanks for the individual homes and settled at the base of these receptacles.
“It would be in the best interest of these consumers to check on their tanks and have them cleaned, if it warrants doing so.”
The Department would, in turn, be monitoring the quality of the supply to Taman Gudon to allay any doubts its consumers might have about the safety of the tap water on the property, according to him.
Meanwhile, the agency hopes to learn more from a Tuaran resident about the water woes in Kg Barus.
Another spokesman said its staff went to village shortly after being contacted by the media, but failed to find anything amiss.
“The water levels in our reservoir, from which consumers here draw their supply, were high at the time,” he said.
“Nevertheless, our technicians checked the supply line leading to the village and cleared any airlocks inside.”
He said the Department would periodically keep an eye on the water situation at the village to ensure that a supply was reaching those living there.
The consumer should liaise with Hotline to find out whom to contact.
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