KOTA KINABALU: A new water treatment plant under the Emergency Water Supply Scheme (EWSS) has been approved for the Papar district.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor instructed the state water department and private water producer Jetama Sdn Bhd to build a second water intake to boost the existing intake at Kampung Limbahau after a drought emergency was declared in the Papar district last week.
The second water intake was proposed at Kampung Kabang, located further upstream of Sungai Papar, to avoid a recurrence of saltwater intrusion at the Kg Limbahau intake, which forced a shutdown of the water treatment plant.
"The proposed second water intake at Kampung Kabang will be the solution for the high salinity issue at the first water intake," he said after a site visit to Kg Limbahau on Tuesday (March 19).
During his site visit, Hajiji was briefed by Papar district water engineer Afiq Abqari Nain that the salinity level at the Limbahau water intake had exceeded 4,000 milligrams per litre (mg/l), which was way above the maximum standard of 120mg/l.
Sea water had flowed 13km upstream into Sungai Papar, going past the Limbahau water intake and treatment plant, which was located about 8km upriver of the Papar River estuary.
Hajiji was also told that with the Kg Limbahau plant closed since Feb 17, water production (which includes two other water plants in Papar - Jetama and Kogopon) had dropped to 35 million litres a day (MLD) compared to 63MLD.
"I can see action has been taken. It is important that we do everything we can to help the people," he said.
Papar district officer Mohd Fuad Abdullah said they had been supplying water using water tankers directly and had set up four static tanks for those affected. Water was also available at the district water department headquarters.
"I hope the use of tankers will continue and if need be, the state government will foot the bill for additional water," Hajiji said, adding that cloud seeding was planned for water catchment areas, which also depends on suitable conditions.
Sabah Water Department director Suhaimi Asbullah said water production in the state had dropped to 1,466.29MLD compared to the normal 1,534MLD, also due to the shutting down of the Limbahau and Sebatik water treatment plants in Tawau.
