Kingfisher folks experiencing water shortage
Published on: Wednesday, April 07, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
A Water Department staff is checking the distribution mains leading to this meter in Kingfisher area.
THE Water Department is monitoring the supply to Taman Kingfisher as several homes have been experiencing a shortage for some time.A spokesman for the agency said the falling water levels at the reservoir servicing this area were to blame for these supply woes.
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“This has given rise to the low water pressure at some of the affected premises, while others do not even get a drop,” he said.
“We are in the midst of discussions on how to best address this problem.”
He explained that, in the meantime, the Department had resorted to rationing supply to the various residential and commercial properties in this part of Inanam.
“This exercise also involves consumers in Inanam, Manggatal and Telipok as the demand for tap water in these areas has exceeded the output from the existing treatment plants.
Water (in circle) has been escaping into this Manggatal drain for some time.
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“Those living and working here will find the supply to their premises reduced, or experience a low water pressure, from the late afternoon till midnight.
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“Their supply will only return to normal in the wee hours after we have refilled the R18-reservoir and the water levels at the installation have increased.”
Despite admitting that there was no quick-fix to the shortage, he said the agency was keeping an eye on the situation to ensure its consumers did receive a supply.
“We urge the public living around the town to report any irregularities directly to us so that we can attend to these problems as soon as possible.”
The spokesman said the agency hoped to stabilise the supply to the affected areas by upgrading its Telibong 2 treatment plant.
“Phase 2 of the facility is tentatively due to be completed at some point in 2022.”
TIFFANY, who lives along Lorong Raja Udang, bemoaned the inconvenience caused by the lack of water in her home.
“The water in our storage tank is almost depleted,” she said, adding that the taps in his home had run dry for the past three days.
“We have taken to drinking bottled water and not taking our meals at home because of this.”
She said, prior to this, the supply had been erratic.
“The strength of the tap water is comparable to that of a young child urinating.”
She said, due to the weak pressure of the water which was available, the supply could barely reach the tank at her home.
Tiffany said she and her neighbours had contacted the Department on numerous occasions about their water woes.
“At one stage, we were told that there was a problem with the pump at the treatment plant.”
She said found it difficult to accept this response, considering her friends, who ran a shop at the Alam Mesra commercial area nearby, did not have these water woes.
Tiffany said that this was not the first time that the taps in her home had run dry.
“The supply has proven unreliable several times already this year.
The resident provided Hotline with the location of her home, as well as the dates of the most recent disruptions. This information was forwarded to the Department.
The spokesman said its staff checked the distribution mains leading to the premises shortly after becoming aware of the consumer’s supply problems.
“At the time of this inspection, they found that the strength of the water in the pipes before her metre, was very weak” he said.
“When the levels at the reservoir are better, we will arrange to have the water mains flushed to clear any air-locks which may have formed inside the pipes.”
He said her water problems were exacerbated because her home was located towards the “end of the distribution line”.
“To make matters worse, she lives on higher ground.”
Because of the water wastage, green mould (in circle) has formed on the side of the drain wall.
The spokesman said the agency’s personnel would keep an eye on the situation in the area from time to time until the supply normalised.
“Should the consumer find it difficult to get by she can request to have a tanker deliver tap water to her.”
Meanwhile, the Department will check on a possible leak in a Manggatal neighbourhood.
This follows a complaint from a homeowner that tap water had been escaping into the roadside drain along one section of Taman Bukit Sepanggar for some time.
The spokesman said one of the agency’s contractors would be alerted to this problem.
“We will have to determine whether the pipes are indeed part of the water supply line, before proceeding with further action,” he said.
Should this be the case, then we will shut the valve to prevent any further water loss and have the damage repaired as soon as possible.”
He said the relevant agency would be informed if the opposite was true.
HAN of Manggatal said a clear fluid had been draining into the drain, off Lorong 1/ 1B, for so long that green mould had formed on the wall of the structure.
“I suspect that a water pipe buried beneath the verge might have burst,” he said.
“I have reported this problem to the Department’s CareLine several times since I first noticed the leak.”
At one stage, he was even directed to take up this matter with an engineer with the agency.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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