Bung (right) inspecting the water supply disruption in Beaufort.
BEAUFORT: The water supply disruption here was caused by various factors, including the high rate of non-revenue water (NRW), said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
He said that the murky river water as well as sand and mud problems had also contributed to the problem.
Bung added that the murky river water from Padas River had overloaded and damaged three of the water treatment plants in Beaufort.
“The operation of the water treatment plants had to be stopped as the pumps and filters have been damaged. The constant rain in Beaufort had also worsened the situation.
“The water treatment plants in Beaufort are usually closed at least ten times a year due to these two problems,” said Bung in a statement on Thursday.
Bung, who is State Works Minister, disclosed that the NRW rate which could reach 65 per cent made thing even worse in Beaufort and its surrounding areas.
He said the two water treatment plants in Beaufort would usually have the capacity to produce 60 million litres per day (MLD).
However, due to the said issue, they could only produce 50 MLD as of now.
“22.5 MLD was identified as NRW. This means that only the remaining 27.5 MLD was actually supplied to the consumers,” said Bung.
He had instructed the State Water Department to come up with a short-term solution.
Commenting on the pipes in Weston that were damaged by the Pan Borneo Highway construction, Bung revealed that the State Water Department had already instructed the contractors to repair the damages.
As it stands, 80 per cent of the water supply in Beaufort has been cleaned up.
Bung said things would go back to normal once the pumps and cables have been repaired.