SWB: Monitoring on-going for water plants in Sibu affected by erosion problem in Katibas

SIBU: The treatment plants at Salim and Bukit Lima here are still being monitored, even after having resumed operations following the temporary shutdown on Monday.

In stating this, Sibu Water Board (SWB) said the water disruption that struck several parts of Sibu was due to the unusually high turbidity in the raw water caused by the soil erosion from Katibas, adversely impacting the treatment plants.

“We had to reduce the raw water extraction from the Rajang River which concurrently, downsized the treatment process.

“The soil erosion overload had inflicted damage on the chemical dosing line, necessitating the temporary shutdown of the Bukit Lima treatment plant at 9.50pm (Monday) for parts replacement,” said the board in a statement yesterday.

It said despite the resumption of operations at the Bukit Lima raw water intake station at 4am yesterday, the treated water pump had trouble in starting-up due to unstable water quality,” it added.

SWB also said the Salim treatment plant had fully recovered at 9am yesterday, but the Bukit Lima facility had to undergo thorough recovery works before it became fully operational by 11.30am.

“Continuous monitoring of water quality is in place,” it assured the consumers.

Adding on, SWB said it had also dispatched water tankers to the supply-affected areas, particularly those at higher elevations and the endpoints of the pipelines.

“The board expresses gratitude for the community’s understanding, and appeals for cooperation in conserving water through prudent usage during this period,” it said, also assuring the consumers that its water tankers would remain on standby to promptly respond to any supply disruption.

For real-time updates, go to SWB’s official platforms on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.

Any concerns or issues related to water supply can be reported by calling its hotline 013-810 6311.