THE Sewerage Services Department (SSD) is trying to mitigate the nuisance posed by the stench from overflowing manholes at an Inanam commercial centre.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB), on the other hand, has called on its staff to be more mindful of any unpleasant odours permeating the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) and to deal with such problems accordingly.
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This follows feedback from an Inanam shop-operator and Penampang resident who were put off recently by foul smells at the HSK Industrial Centre and KKIA.
The former said the effluent, which had been ponding on Lorong Cempedak 6 discouraged potential customers from patronising his premises, while the airport-user was embarrassed by the whiff of “a dead rat or something decomposing” which he claimed was lingering around an arrival hall there.
The latter had been meeting a group of 40 passengers from Sarawak, who had just arrived for a team-building event in Kota Kinabalu, at the time.
He was of the opinion that Sabahans deserved “an airport that reflected the cleanliness, hospitality and professionalism which we are proud to offer”.
These individuals provided Hotline with the pertinent details, regarding their grievances, which were forwarded to the respective parties.
A SSD spokeswoman said the breakdown of the daily pump and the one on stand-by at its Inanam pumping-station was to blame for the goings-on at the HSK Industrial Centre.
She said a 15-strong team – made up of the Department’s staff and workers with a private contractor – had been working round the clock at the pumping-station since the end of last week to stabilise the situation, while the pumps were being repaired.
“To control the sewage flow and prevent upstream surcharging, emergency pumping operations have been established using two hydraulic pumps and two centrifugal pumps,” she said.
“The temporary pumping system is being operated continuously to maintain the flow of the effluent and minimise the likelihood of manholes overflowing while the repair works are in progress.”
As of press time, repairs had been completed on the 127 Kilowatt daily pump.
“We are in the midst of testing the device to see if it runs as it should,” the spokeswoman said.
She said pumps under the agency’s jurisdiction were maintained on a monthly basis.
“The Inanam pumping-station plays a crucial role in regulating the effluent from places ranging from Inanam, Metro Town and Kolombong, to parts of the Central Business District in the City, Dah Yeh Villa and Lorong Mergastua in Likas.
In the case of the KKIA, MAHB is taking steps to ensure that the environment at the airport remains “clean, safe and pleasant” for all passengers and visitors.
To this end, a spokesman for the company said, regular inspections were made of the terminal areas throughout the day.
“Any irregularities observed during these inspections, or reported by passengers, are attended to immediately,” he said.
“This is part of our regular operations.”
He said an inspection was immediately carried out of the arrival hall where the bad smell was detected, after MAHB learned what had transpired at the airport.
“Our staff initially removed some of the ceiling panels in the arrival hall to see if some rodent or other animal may have inadvertently found its way into space above and died there.”
He said this, however, did not prove to be the case.
“The stench was eventually found to be coming from a consignment of crabs belonging in an airline, which had been temporarily placed near the baggage carousel area for the arrival hall in question.
“Due to the prevailing wind direction from the internal ventilation system, the odour was carried into the terminal through the baggage conveyor curtains.”
The spokesman said the seafood consignment was promptly relocated to a more suitable area, with the smell dissipating after this was done.
“To prevent a similar nuisance from arising in future, all airlines and ground-handling partners have been instructed to ensure that their consignments are handled and stored appropriately."
