Kota Kinabalu water crisis averted

KOTA KINABALU: People living in the city and neighbouring Penampang and Putatan need not worry about water rationing, at least until May.

Water Department deputy director Teo Chee Kong said that though the Kasigui intake plant, which supplies water to the three areas, is at 25 milion litres per day (mld), which is slightly less than half its maximum supply capacity of 55mld, they have brought in another 25mld from the Madsiang intake.

He said the Madsiang intake, which normally supplies water to the Moyog area, will contribute 25mld and be complemented with 150mld from the Babagon dam.

“Therefore, the amount of water for Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan is at 225mld,” he said during an inspection of the Kasigui water intake plant on the Moyog River near here on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Teo said the water shortage which occurred over the past few days was because of pollution and not insufficient supply.

“There were high levels of ammonia present in the Moyog River and our plant could not filter the pollution,” he said.

“The maximum level of ammonia which the intake plant can treat is 0.5mg per litre. However, the level of ammonia in the Moyog River exceeded that level, which is why the Kasigui intake had to be shut down,” he said.

Teo said the Water Department and other agencies have taken measures to reduce the pollutant level in the river to normalise water supply and conserve water in the Babagon dam as a measure against drought.

Penampang District Officer Luvita Koisun, who was also present at the inspection, hoped that the weather will improve.

“The dry season has caused several gravity water feeds in some villages to dry up,” she said, adding that a disaster operations room has been set up to ensure the supply of clean water to the affected villages.

The villages affected are Kampung Babagon, Kampung Timpangoh Laut, Kampung Kolopis, Kampung Kibabaig and Kampung Minintod.

“We are using tankers to supply water to these villages," she said, adding that the Civil Defence Department and the Water Department are assisting in the relief efforts.