Bung Says Sorry For Frequent Water Disruptions In Sabah

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Bung Moktar Radin (in green shirt) at the Telibong water treatment plant recently. He said repair works will be done on pumps at the plant soon.KOTA KINABALU: Deputy chief minister Bung Moktar Radin has apologised for the frequent water supply problems plaguing the state and promised to immediately take action.
His apology comes after a viral video of a resident venting her anger over the continued water supply disruption at the Universiti Utama Condominium (UUC) in Telipok near here recently.
Bung, who is Sabah works minister, gave an assurance that immediate measures are being taken to address the water problem at the area in the city’s outskirts.
He said the measures included 24-hour delivery of water to the affected area and repair works on pumps at the Telibong 1 water treatment plant in nearby Tuaran.
He said the repair works, which started yesterday, is expected to be completed in 10 days.
“Sabahans deserve clean water supply like those in all other states. I apologise for all the inconveniences caused. The disruptions are deeply regretted,” Bung said in a statement today.
However, he pointed out these were only short-term solutions to mitigate the issue, adding that more permanent solutions will be found later.
“The water supply problem in a number of areas is very serious. This has been happening for several years but the issue has become significantly worse now,” he said.
The UUC area has been affected since Nov 6 and water has been delivered there but it has been insufficient for the residents’ daily needs.
Frustrated over the issue, Bung’s fellow Gabungan Rakyat Sabah member Yong Teck Lee also issued a statement slamming the Sabah water department yesterday.
Yong, a nominated assemblyman, said the never-ending water supply problems in Sabah was a major issue that deserved the immediate attention and action of the state government’s top leaders.
He said he was disgusted after reading a news report on how the Sabah water department needed several weeks to repair water pumps at the Telibong water treatment plant.
He said this exposed the poor management and lack of maintenance on the water pumps.
“This is negligence. This poor attitude by the department is like waiting for a car to break down in the middle of the road before sending the car to be maintained.
“People are getting angry,” said the Sabah Progressive Party president.
Meanwhile, Bung said he has instructed the Telibong 1 plant concessionaire, Jetama Sdn Bhd, to not only send more free water supply to UUC but also to the nearby Universiti Condo Apartment 2, which also faces the same problem.
The Sabah Umno chief said he would present a proposal paper to the state Cabinet soon on ways to overcome the water issue in the state.
“This is not easy because it involves billions of ringgit … maybe it’s time for the state water management to be given to a third party to handle,” he said. - FMT

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