SANDAKAN: The State Water Department (JANS) is in the process of finding and increasing underground water supply in the district through boreholes to ensure continuous supply.
JANS Director Suhaimi Asbullah said Sandakan currently has 14 boreholes.
“However, this is insufficient given the district’s rapid development. This (underground water) effort will take time but some short-term measures will be implemented such as the installation of a booster pump at flats in the old part of the town that is experiencing low water pressure.
“This is to enable those living on the upper floors to receive supply as the existing water system in the old town does not support the pressure, resulting in dry taps,” he said.
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However, the plant is no longer in operation for raw water treatment due to water shortages. Supply now comes from the nearest water treatment plant.
JANS, Suhaimi said, is currently in talks with consultants and it is expected to take six months to identify and create a new borehole before the Sandakan water supply issue is expected to be fully resolved within two years.
He said this when met after visiting the Hilltop Water Treatment Plant near Sandakan town, Friday, with Karamunting Assemblyman Datuk George Hiew Vun Zin.
Also present were Timatch Sdn Bhd Senior Manager Dhanasegaran Sega, Sandakan Divisional Water Engineer Alchemy Lobo October M. Sabin and Tanjong Papat Community Development Leader Max Million Lee.
Among other things, George said the visit was also to get a real picture of the water supply issue that residents in some of his areas in Karamunting have been facing for the past few months.
George hopes JANS’s short-term measures to install booster pumps can help water users in his constituency while waiting for the planned long-term solution.
Meanwhile, Suhaimi said the water quality in Sandakan still meets the standards set by the World Health Organisation where samples are regularly taken by the Malaysian Ministry of Health together with JANS.
“So far, there have been no reports of poisoning in the water samples, and it is also constantly monitored through scheduled sampling,” he said.
As for the salinity level of clean water in the district, Suhaimi said results from regular samplings show it is decreasing while plant closures are done periodically for related purposes according to the water levels.
George advised the public to use the appropriate sampling equipment to measure the level of water safety or take the samples to a registered laboratory to ensure that it is proven to be safe and not make assumptions without running valid tests.
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