LAWAS: The Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) Sarawak has intensified mitigation measures to address water supply disruptions in the Lawas District, including increasing water deliveries by tanker lorries and carrying out upgrading works at the intake point of the Trusan Water Treatment Plant.

According to a statement by JBALB Sarawak, the water supply disruptions in the affected area were caused by the accumulation of sand and sediment at the intake station, following a shift in the river's flow resulting from a collapsed riverbank.

“This phenomenon has resulted in a reduction of water inflow to the raw water pumps, disrupting operations at the Trusan Water Treatment Plant.

“The increasingly critical state of the raw water source has prevented the Trusan Water Treatment Plant from operating normally, particularly when river water levels recede,” it said on Sunday.

To assess the current situation, JBALB Sarawak Acting Director Ir Ts Tamida Da’adi conducted a site visit to Lawas on Sunday to monitor the operations of the Trusan Water Treatment Plant.

Together with the Limbang Division Water Engineer Ts Ahmad Hafidzur Rahman and the JBALB Limbang technical team, he inspected the plant’s operational capacity and sand-dredging activities at the raw water intake area, which are intended to enhance raw water abstraction capabilities.

JBALB Sarawak noted that as a short-term measure, the department will install pontoon-mounted pumps to help increase raw water intake while continuing water deliveries via tanker trucks and also establish Centralised Water Collection Centres (CWCCs) at designated locations.

“The amount of tanker trucks deployed have also been increased to boost the frequency of water deliveries, prioritising the needs of the local residents.

“For a medium-term solution, repairs to the raw water intake including slope stabilisation behind the structure will be carried out to strengthen the riverbank and mitigate the risk of erosion,” it said.

Meanwhile, as a long-term solution, the Sarawak Government through the Ministry for Utility and Telecommunication Sarawak (MUT) and JBALB Sarawak is currently implementing the construction of a new Trusan Water Treatment Plant.

This project includes increasing the plant’s production capacity and constructing a new raw water intake station with a capacity of 90 million litres per day (MLD) at a new site, which will replace the existing facility.

JBALB Sarawak apologised for any inconvenience caused to consumers and greatly appreciates the patience and cooperation of the public during this period.

The department said that it would continue to monitor the status of raw water sources and the operation of the water supply system on an ongoing basis, ensuring that appropriate measures were taken in response to the current situation. -UKASnews