KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah Water Department has been forced to temporarily shut down a water treatment plant after two rivers were polluted by a major glue spill, affecting residents in the districts of Tenom and Keningau.
The department yesterday issued the notice of interruption to residents around Tenom town which stated that the plant must be closed for the time being due to possible contamination of the rivers.
The plant supplies water to offices, schools and villages around Tenom town.
The pollution of the two rivers of Sg Bariawa and Sg Pagalan have also affected villages in nearby areas, especially Bariawa, Lingkudou, Durok, Masak and Ansip.
Walter Kensons and Mas Syazwan Masood, district officers of Keningau and Tenom respectively, issued notices yesterday to warn villagers not to use the water from Sg Bariawa and Sg Pagalan until further notice.
Walter’s notice said that the chemical that was spilled in the rivers contains phenol formaldehyde resin, which is categorised as toxic and dangerous.
He asked villagers who experience any health complications after using the river water to go to the hospital or nearest clinic immediately.
On late Friday night, a trailer carrying plywood glue overturned during an accident in Bariawa, Keningau district, spilling a large amount of glue into Sg Bariawa, which is relied upon by local villagers for daily activities.
According to a police statement yesterday, the trailer was heading from Kota Kinabalu to a plywood factory in Sook Keningau when it lost control and overturned on the left side of the road near the Bariawa junction at about 11.40pm on Friday.
The driver of the tanker was not harmed but the tanker got ruptured, causing a large amount of glue to spill into a drain that flows directly to Sg Bariawa and onward to Sg Pagalan.
Water samples taken from the rivers are currently being examined by the Sabah Environment Protection Department. The local authorities are awaiting the department’s findings to determine if waters there are safe to use. – The Vibes, April 3, 2022
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