Raw water storage needed to solve supply problem
KOTA KINABALU: Former state Water Department director, Datuk Amarjit Singh opined that the recent statements by the state government on the necessity of Kaiduan dam is well-timed.
He said the state government under the stewardship of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor is showing concern to the irregularity of water supply in Tuaran and Kota Kinabalu districts.
In a statement yesterday, Amarjit said the insufficient supply of water in those two areas is mainly caused by rampant water theft and unsuitable water quality during heavy downpour which increases the Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) of water and conventional water plants are unable to treat.
He suggested that storage of raw water, be it on upstream, midstream or downstream is required to solve the treated water supply problem.
Tuaran and Kota Kinabalu consumption demand is approximately 400 MLD and with non-accounted water at 50 percent, the necessity for storage is fundamentally required, he disclosed.
“If we decide to build a storage upstream, it is called a dam, a storage midstream is called off river storage and downstream is referred as coastal reservoir.
“Whatever engineering mechanism is preferred by the government, a detailed feasibility study is needed to address issues such as hydrology, geology, hydraulic, sociology, environmental study, social impact and many more before a conclusion is made of the type of storage to be built,” he pointed out.
Only then the type of dam or reservoir can be determined plus all its ancillary structures that will operate as a unit to sustain the operation of a good water supply, he said.
Meanwhile on the flood issues especially in Penampang, Amarjit said it is not significantly corelated with the dam overflows as all dam designs are equipped with a spillway that will channel water safely into the basin.
“What causes flood is the unplanned human activities downstream and unsustainable development which hinder the natural surface water either to percolate in the ground or safely being transported by open channels or drains to the sea.
“All these can be solved by proper water resources management and participants of all relevant agencies,” he said.