Business and residential communities at Bandar Sierra and Taman Rimba expressing their frustration over the water supply problem.
KOTA KINABALU: Thousands of consumers from Tuaran to Manggatal have been living without basic water supply since Friday, forcing many to buy mineral water for their daily use with some business premises forced to close shop.
Most of the shops have also run out of bottled mineral water and those with water tanks at home are also facing the same problem as they have run dry.
Business and residential communities at Bandar Sierra and Taman Rimba have expressed their frustration over the water supply problem by putting up protest banners in front of the shoplots and houses.
Rina Wahid, a mother of three, said their family expenses have increased the past few days due to the problem.
“My children are aged two, three and four. Two of them have been potty trained but now they have to wear disposable diapers because we have no water to clean them.
“We are also depending on bottled mineral water, and even worse all the shops nearby are running out of stock.
“I have not been able to cook for the past four days, so I spend more on food by ordering online. Few hundreds has been spent and it’s not even a week,” she said when contacted by The Borneo Post on Saturday.
Rina, who is staying in Taman Rimba said she is disappointed with the situation and hopes the relevant bodies will act fast, especially with the Ramadan a few days away.
Another resident at Bandar Sierra, Tony Paridi, related on his Facebook account that it has almost been a week of no water in the housing area, and the water issue has been ongoing for the past five years.
“We have been given ‘recycled’ notice but no preventive measures taken to tackle the issue.
“The residents have been tolerating by coming out with their own initiatives such as preparing water tanks and pumps. However, water is still not sufficient if the problem continues for many days like this,” he said.
A family of five staying at Taman Puterajaya has to use mineral water to cook, wash and bath since the water outage.
Mohd Ali Kassim pointed out out that some grocery shops have run out of mineral water and those with available stock have jacked up the price.
The 42-year-old self-employed said the Water Department should have sent water to the affected areas instead of making the people wait for the water supply to resume.
“This problem (water supply) has been going on for many years and there is no solution in sight even with the change of government,” he said.
Puan Jamilah from Taman Rimba said that her family had to spend extra on mineral water as they needed to use the water to flush the toilets as well.
“Living here for the past few years has been a nightmare due to frequent water shortages that can last for days. Even our water tank has dried up,” she said.
Residents and business operators are demanding concrete and clear explanation from the minister in charge of water and Water Department on the steps and measures to be taken to overcome this critical problem.
On Friday, the Water Department issued a notice that the Telibong water treatment plant has been shut down temporarily due to high level turbidity of river water. It said that water supply would resume in one to three days when the turbidity is back to normal.
Among the areas with dry tap are Manggatal town, Taman Fajar, Kg Pulutan, Kg Darau, Kg Madsiang, Kg Rampayan, Kg Warisan, Taman Richdar, Taman Permai, Taman Inanam Laut, Taman Bakti Ikhlas, Kg Kalansanan, Taman Satria, Puncak Menggatal, Kg Giling, Kg Keliangau, Kg Timbok, Kg Canggil, Taman Satria, Taman Sri Baru, Kg Maruah Sumagid, Taman Putera Perdana, Kg Gudon, Kg Tebobon, Alam Puteri Apartment, Kg Telipok, Telipok Ria, Taman Bukit Sepanggar, Taman Rimba, Bandar Sierra, Grand Merdeka Mall, Taman Puterajaya, UUC, UCA 2, Apartment Putramas and Kg Borunuon.
Water issues in the city centre have been a major problem in many areas. Consumers are complaining of the lack of clear explanations on the real situation and solutions to be taken by relevant authorities.
A check with the residents at Taman Rimba last evening there was still not a single drop of water from the tap.