KUCHING: A long-standing water problem at Kampung Ta-ee in Serian will soon be over when a proposed urgent rehabilitation and improvement work on the water main to the village’s booster station is completed in the middle of next month.
The project carried out by the Department of Rural Water Supply (Jabatan Bekalan Air Luar Bandar) will cost approximately RM7million. This includes the pipeline-laying contract costing RM4,695,000 and also the cost of purchasing pipes.
During a project progress briefing for Water Supply Assistant Minister Datuk Liwan Lagang yesterday the department’s assistant director Bernard Wong, said work on the project commenced on August 28 and expected to be completed by July 17 this year.
He said as of last June 15 almost 95 percent of the work has already been completed.
After the briefing Liwan visited Kampung Ta-ee’s pump station and Slabi Water Treatment Plant.
Empayer Megah Sdn Bhd is the contractor of the project and its project manager Nurdiyanah Mohamad who was at the briefing gave an assurance that the project will be completed before July 17.
“Once the project has been completed there won’t be any more low water pressure in Kampung Taee,” said Liwan, who added that the department had been receiving many complaints and criticisms due to the problem.
For other areas still having low water pressure, Liwan urged them to stay patient as the problem will be resolved.
The briefing also heard that most of the water supply interruptions in areas under the department’s jurisdiction were caused by ongoing work along the Pan Borneo Highway.
Thus, Liwan advised the contractors of the Pan Borneo Highway to take more stringent precautions to avoid damaging the main pipelines.
On the Slabi Water Treatment Plant the department’s director Chang Kuet Shian said its output is sufficient for Serian Division.
He said the 50mld (million litres per day) plant supplies treated water to customers along Kuching-Serian Road, Serian town and Tebedu areas,
while the 10mld plant supplies water to Gedong, Jalan Kampung Paon Rimo, Balai Ringin and on to the junction of Kampung Antayan.
“The 10mld plant also supplies water to Simunjan (as required basis especially during drought),” said Chang.
As for the water quality at Slabi Water Treatment Chang said yesterday it was 0.19 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) which is above WHO’s standard of 5 NTU.
“It shows that our water
quality is very good and safe for human consumption,” he said.
