PAPAR: The residents of Papar district can expect to regain access to clean water through their respective pipelines following the recent reactivation of the Kogopon Water Treatment Plant (LRA), which had been temporarily shut down due to a major pipe burst, Sabah First Info reported.
The LRA Kogopon, supplying 35 million litres per day (MLD), had to cease operations for two days due to the burst pipe. Despite the plant's resumption, the total water supply capacity in the area is still insufficient to meet the full demand of the district as the Emergency Water Supply Scheme (EWSS) in Limbahau has yet to restart.
Currently, only the water treatment facility operated by Jetama Sdn Bhd in Limbahau is partially functional, delivering only half of its original capacity with 5 MLD out of 10 MLD.
Papar Member of Parliament Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali reported that the Kogopon LRA resumed operations late last night. However, the combined supply from Kogopon LRA and Jetama LRA totals 40 MLD, which is 15 MLD short of the usual supply before the drought crisis, affecting the water distribution in various parts of the district.
The shortage in water supply stems from the suspension of the Limbahau LRA, triggered by high salinity levels in the raw water due to prolonged drought and the absence of rainfall. The salinity levels need to decrease to acceptable standards for water treatment, necessitating rainfall to reduce the high salinity recorded at the intake points of both Limbahau EWSS and Jetama facilities.
For those areas in Papar still facing water supply issues, Armizan urged the water delivery teams in the constituencies of Kawang, Limbahau, and Pantai Manis to assess and plan a structured water distribution until both LRAs are fully operational again.
Armizan also highlighted that the ongoing water supply issues could have been mitigated if the upgrade project for Kogopon LRA, planned in 2019 to double its capacity to 80 MLD, had been completed on schedule. The project, which started in August 2023, is now expected to conclude in August 2026.