Beluran Hospital gets emergency water supply

KOTA KINABALU: Emergency assistance is being given to Beluran Hospital after a severe water shortage hit the district, some 100km from Sandakan.

Hospital authorities complained that they had run out of water in the outpatient department and the haemodialysis unit.

Beluran MP Datuk Ronald Kiandee, who set up a task force to coordinate efforts to resolve the water shortage, said he asked the water department to immediately channel supplies to the hospital.

“Though the district office sent in a tanker with 400 litres of water, I believe the best solution is to fill up the 20,000-litre hospital tank immediately,” he said.

As of 1pm yesterday, hospital authorities confirmed that water supply by the department had been temporarily restored.

In a tweet, Beluran hospital officer Dr Samson Galahap said that water supply to the hospital had resumed and their tanks were being filled.

According to Kiandee, this problem had been festering for years as the district was in dire need of new pipes.

“Over the years, I’ve informed the previous Infrastructure Development Minister and even the then chief minister for the need to change the old pipes. Nothing was done,” he said.

“This is not a district problem. The state water department has to take steps to change the old pipes,” he said, hoping that the new government would act on the longstanding problem.

The district water department has implemented water rationing to Beluran town and several villages in the area.

It stated in a recent circular that the rationing will continue till February next year when two new water units will be installed at the intake area.

However, Kiandee said that putting up the new pumps was not the solution as the current pipelines were old and often burst due to high water pressure.

“They need to resolve the water piping problem to the town and other areas,” he added.