KOTA KINABALU: Water supply to hotels in the Kota Kinabalu city centre is returning to normal following the repair of several damaged pipes, says Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam.
“It’s getting better,” he said when asked about the water supply situation in the town centre after at least 14 major hotels ran out of water as of Thursday (Aug 13).
“We had a string of leaking pipes in and around Kota Kinabalu over the last few days, coupled with a blackout that occurred at our Moyog water treatment plant,” he explained regarding delays in restoring supply.
Addressing calls by the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Sabah and Labuan chapter for the Sabah Water Department to provide clear restoration timelines during disruptions, Dr Gunsalam said he was unsure if the department had communicated directly with hoteliers.
However, he noted that hotel operators had previously been advised to expand their water storage tank capacity to prepare for emergency disruptions.
“Some hotels have only a four-hour water reserve, which of course is not going to be enough. They were advised to have more,” he said when contacted.
On Thursday (Aug 13), the association urged authorities to urgently restore supply after member hotels reported running out of water from Aug 8 following pipeline repair works.
MAH stated that the prolonged water shortage severely disrupted hospitality operations, leading to booking cancellations and guests shortening their stays.
Disruptions initially began on Aug 8 following repair works on a leaking pipe near Suria Sabah, which was expected to be completed the following day.
This was followed by a leaking valve replacement near Signal Hill, with MAH noting that hoteliers were left without progress updates or restoration timelines from authorities.
