Sabah Water Department district technician Raipin Aking said that the Kimolohing water treatment plant started operations yesterday (June 18) around 5pm and started reaching consumers at about 2am.
“We are now producing at 60 per cent capacity. Weather conditions permitting, we expect to hit normal production in a day or two,” he said when contacted by Malay Mail Online.
The Kimolohing plant, one of two water intake sources in the district at the epicentre of an earthquake two weeks ago, has been stricken by massive mudslides following over 80 aftershocks in the region.
On Tuesday, tonnes of logs and debris came crashing through the river, uprooting trees and causing erosion around the Mesilau and Liwagu riverbanks.
The logs eventually got stuck at the treatment plant, causing a sea of dead trees, said to go back up to 1km, causing muddied waters and also damage to the dam.
The water treatment plant, which produces eight million litres a day of water, shut down for two days, depriving a population of some 100,000, including hospitals, schools and homes from tap water.
Villagers relied on donated bottled water from the state capital and other districts as well as gravity water feed systems from distant villages while authorities worked round the clock to remove the logs and boulders.
“Water tankers and water supply from the army, state departments and non-governmental organisations will continue to be sent to Ranau town and other villages also cut off from water supply while we wait for the supply to return to normal,” said Mr Raipin.
Two mobile water purification plants were also delivered to Ranau this morning, loaned from private operator Timatch Sdn Bhd that will provide up to 24 tonnes of drinking water per day to villages who can collect the water by bottles and containers.
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