KOTA KINABALU – Residents of Sepanggar’s Universiti Apartment here will get some respite from their water woes, as the Sabah government will send 10 tankers to the area starting tomorrow.
Roland Chia Ming Shen, the political secretary to the chief minister, said the tankers and water supply will come at no cost to residents.
“They (residents) agreed to the proposal to use (state agencies’) water tankers following a coordination meeting. If we were to use private ones, it would cost RM700 per trip.
“Since we are using government-owned water tankers, we can use them for free as a service to the people there. The water supplied is also free of charge.”
The tankers will benefit residents of the nearby Universiti Condo 1 and Universiti Prime Condo, too.
“The effort is made possible thanks to a task force comprising the Chief Minister’s Department, the Fire and Rescue Department in Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran, the Water Department in Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran and Papar, and the district offices of Penampang, Papar and Tuaran, as well as Kota Kinabalu City Hall,” said Chia.
The state Water Department has started rationing supply in areas serviced by the Telibong treatment plant.
Yesterday, The Vibes reported on a Sabah civil society leader’s allegation of retaliatory actions behind the water supply shortage affecting some 5,000 residents of Universiti Apartment since last month.
Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ekonomi Semangat Bersatu Malaysia leader Datuk Seri Mohammad Jeffry Rosman said residents would “strangely” get supply whenever politicians visited them.
Several complaints have been lodged, prompting politicians, including state Works Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, to visit the area, and yet, the matter remains unresolved.
Jeffry said supply was restored during Bung Moktar’s visit on March 14, but cut off moments after he left.
The same thing happened when Sepanggar MP Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman came to the area, he added.
He said the state Water Department claimed the issue was caused by a contractor at the Telibong plant and ongoing road upgrading works.
Jeffry rubbished the explanation given, saying the department should have contingencies when such matters arise.
“The department should have contingency plans. But, the only solution it had was to seek public aid to supply it with a lorry to transport water from another residential area.
“They tried to reroute the supply from a nearby area, but the residents there started complaining about the water disruption,” he said, adding that the department attempted to ration supply at one point, but was unsuccessful.
The rationing was carried out between 9am and 6pm, but given that most residents were at work, they were unable to store enough water for their daily use. – The Vibes, March 31, 2021
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