KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s east coast is still grappling with power and water supply problems following the massive blackout on Saturday (Sept 13).
In Sandakan, electricity has been restored, but most parts of the district remain without water as pumps at the Segaliud treatment plant have yet to restart.
On the third day of dry taps, residents are stocking up on bottled water, with some even resorting to using mineral water for bathing.
Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee said generator sets were being prepared for the plant, but operations had not resumed.
“The situation is not looking good. Pumps are still not operating yet. I will get the Sabah Water Department (JANS) to hold a press conference to explain the situation,” she said.
“Diesel has been secured to run the generator sets at the Segaliud plant. I will personally monitor the situation there. In the meantime, my team will distribute water around Sandakan,” she added.
In Lahad Datu, power was restored briefly at 2.30am on Monday (Sept 15) after going out at 8.30pm on Sunday (Sept 14), but supply failed again at 11am and had yet to return as of 12.40pm today.
In Tawau, residents endured a 15-hour blackout before supply returned for only three hours, before cutting off again.
The outage has prevented petrol stations from pumping fuel and left shops unable to process card payments.
Phone lines in some areas of Tawau and Lahad Datu have also gone down after the communication towers’ backup generators ran out of power, leaving certain places completely disconnected.
The disruption began when the 275kV Kolopis–Segaliud transmission line tripped at 5.05pm on Saturday, plunging Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Kunak, Semporna and Beluran into darkness.
Sabah Electricity Chief Operating Officer Mohd Yusmanizam Mohd Yusof said restoration was being carried out in stages while teams worked to stabilise supply.
“Our teams are on the ground doing everything they can to restore supply. The bad weather has made things more difficult, but work is ongoing,” he said, adding that severe weather was not being ruled out as the cause.
The Kolopis–Segaliud line is a key lifeline for the east coast, carrying bulk electricity from the west coast.
Any fault along the corridor can plunge entire districts into blackout, with the six affected districts home to about 1.23 million people—nearly one-third of Sabah’s population.
