KALABAKAN: Works to expand and deepen the water reservoir at the Wallace Bay Water Treatment Plant (WTP) will be carried out as a long-term solution to address clean water supply shortage on Pulau Sebatik.
The project is expected to benefit some 25,000 residents on the island, which often suffers water disruptions lasting up to three months during the dry season.
Deputy Chief Minister III cum State Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said his Ministry would apply to the Government to initiate the project.
“The Water Department has already planned to expand the existing reservoir and dredge its base to increase depth, ensuring sufficient water supply.
“The reservoir deepening work is expected to take about a year to complete,” he said during his working visit to Sebatik on Monday.
He was accompanied by MP Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy and Sebatik Assemblyman Datuk Hassan A Gani Pg Amir.
As a temporary measure, Shahelmey said, the Water Department is currently using a Portable Water Purifier Plant to supply clean water to the residents of Sebatik when supply issues arise.
He also expressed willingness to collaborate with local representatives on other development projects in Sebatik for the welfare of the residents, including a health clinic project, the construction of a new public jetty and a 7km paved road to improve land connectivity.
Attention was also given to the deteriorating condition of the former Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (CIQS) Complex, which poses safety risks to the public.
The location is still actively used by pedestrians heading to the Tawau Public Jetty, the main point of transit between Sebatik and Tawau town.
The water supply crisis on Sebatik is so severe that residents have been forced to dig into the ground in search of water or buy water at high costs.
The Wallace Bay WTP reservoir expansion and deepening project is a crucial step towards a sustainable and effective solution to the problem.
The building has reportedly been left in a neglected state since its vacancy in 2016 following the full relocation of CIQS operations to the Tawau Passenger Ferry Terminal.
