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19th March, 2010
NABAWAN: The Panawan River water level has dropped drastically from four feet to 10 inches due to the prolonged drought.
And, as a result, water production has also plummeted by 50 per cent.
On normal days, the water treatment plant could produce up to one million litres a day to meet demand but following the drought, production has decreased to 500,000 litres.
Nabawan district officer Bubudan O.T. Majalu said the treatment plant could only operate 16 hours a day due to Panawan River’s low water level.
Workers will only pump water from the river for four hours at night, and from the ‘mini dam’ over 16 hours during the day, for treatment before supplying to consumers.
The river is currently the only source of water supply for the water treatment plant.
Some 3,000 of the 7,000 residents in Nabawan get piped water supply while the rest depend on gravity water.
“The situation is quite critical and we hope the weather condition will improve,” he said.
Bubudan added that the water authority would now have to carry out water rationing especially in town and nearby areas.
He also said the district natural disaster relief committee has begun sending water to six villages namely Lima, Sarikan, Kabangawong, Tetagas, Dua and Bahagian B.
Meanwhile, he said the water authority has already identified an alternative source of water supply some 20 kilometres away from Nabawan.
Health officers, he said, have taken samples from the Langkukuk River for laboratory tests.
A survey by New Sabah Times showed that many villagers take their bath in the Panawan river while some collect the river water for domestic use.
Nabawan is believed to be the worst hit district.
Meanwhile, state water department director Ag Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib when contacted by New Sabah Times yesterday said they were in the midst of carrying out water rationing in critical areas and that Nabawan is one of them.
“In Nabawan, we are transporting water to residents in badly affected locations,” he said.
He, however said that overall, the situation was still under control.
Asked if the dams were drying up in view of the drought, Mohd Tahir said only the water level in the Lahad Datu dam has dropped substantially but the water supply there remained normal.
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