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THE Water Department is monitoring the supply to Puncak Gloxinia in Kinarut as condominium-owners have been experiencing a shortage for the past week.

A spokesman for the agency said it was aware that some the property’s occupants only received tapwater for a few hours each day, while others – particularly those living above the fifth floor – were unable to receive a drop at all.

“We are in the midst of discussions on how best to resolve these problems,” he said.

The overgrown grass on the verge had to be cut to facilitate efforts to identify the exact location of the burst.

He explained that these water woes were aggravated in part by the condominiums location at the end of the existing distribution line.

Water had to go through a 40-kilometre length of main pipes from the Kogopon Treatment Plant before it reached the Department’s P1 reservoir in Kawang from which Puncak Gloxinia drew its supply, according to him.

“The Department is considering having a new supply line installed along the Pan Borneo highway which will reduce this distance to about 10 or 15 km.”

He said five of its tankers delivered treated water to the property on Wednesday to offer some relief to the condominium’s occupants.

“A total of 30,000 litres was sent to replenish the balancing tanks for the property.”

The spokesman said the goings-on at Puncak Gloxinia were indicative of “the bigger picture” in Kinarut.

“The town is ‘water stressed’. With more and more residential and commercial properties coming up around the town, our Kogopon Plant is straining to keep up with the added demand for a supply.”

The Department’s technicians attending to a damaged pipe along the road to Kg Nagapas.

Under normal circumstances, about 40 million litres of treated water is produced daily (MLD) at this facility.

“We hope to resolve the shortage once the new phase for the Kogopon Plant becomes operational in a few years’ time,” the spokesman said.

“Construction of Phase 2 got underway earlier this year. This work is tentatively expected to be finished in 2026.”

On top of being mindful about the water situation in Kinarut, he said, the Department was also keeping tabs on the condition of its distribution line around the town.

“Our staff have been asked to accord priority when it comes to attending to pipe- bursts here.”

He said the agency would try to keep the public apprised about such leaks as quickly as it could.

“The precise location of the damage has to be established, before a notice can be issued.

“Once we know where the burst is, only then, can we set about temporarily shutting off the supply so that repairs can be made.” 

He said the affected consumers would be notified at this point about the potential loss of their tap water.

The spokesman was responding to feedback that the Department had been slow to inform the public about a burst along the road to Kg Nagapas earlier this week.

The Kinarut consumer, who was displeased about the hold up, said his neighbours had seen its technicians looking around near the village on Monday afternoon. 

He returned home from work that night to find himself without a supply.

The individual said the agency only released a notice on Tuesday at 3pm to let the local community know that a distribution main in the area was leaking.

The spokesman confirmed that its staff had been trying to locate the source of some rushing water in a roadside drain in this part of Kinarut.

“It took most of Monday and part of Tuesday before they managed to identify the exact whereabouts of the damaged pipe,” he said.

He said its technicians began attending to the burst 150 millimetre MSCL [mid-steel-cement-lined] water main from 3.30pm on Tuesday and finished the repairs several hours later.

“The supply from our EWSS [Emergency Water Supply Scheme] treatment plant was restored after this.

“The affected consumers regained their tapwater, in stages, once sufficient pressure had built up in the pipes leading to their meters.”

Besides Kg Nagapas, the other rural areas which were without tapwater for a time, in this instance, were Kg Kompimpinan, Kg Surapit, Kg Rampazan, Kg Tanjung Bunga, Kg Simpudu and parts of Kg Limbahau. 

The EWSS facility in the Mandalipau area generates between eight to10 MLD of treated water for the Papar district, which includes Kinarut.