According to Bernama, 362 people in Tawau, Sabah, have been forced to relocate to relief centres due to floods as of 4pm today. (APM Tawau Facebook pic)PETALING JAYA: More than 5,500 households and commercial premises in Tawau, Sabah have been hit by water cuts after two water treatment plants were temporarily shut down due to floods.Sabah deputy chief minister Dr Joachim Gunsalam said the Apas Balung 1 and 2 water treatment plants were completely inundated, damaging facilities and key mechanical and electrical equipment, Borneo Post reported.He added that two other plants, Utara and Cinta Mata, have resumed operations with treated water production being gradually increased to stabilise supply.Joachim, who is also the state works and utilities minister, said the Sabah water department is inspecting, cleaning and repairing the Apas Balung plants so that operations can resume.“The situation is being continuously monitored by the management and technical teams, and every effort is being made to fully restore the operations of the affected plants and stabilise water supply to consumers,” he was quoted as saying.Water tankers have also been deployed to affected areas, while technical teams continue to monitor the situation and speed up restoration work.Tawau was hit by floods yesterday with 335 victims relocated to relief centres as of this morning. The latest Bernama report, however, states that the number has increased to 362 as of 4pm.Joachim said the state government is also developing the Tawau dam as part of a longer-term plan to improve supply and flood control in the district.The dam, expected to be completed in October next year, will provide raw water for the proposed Cinta Mata 2 treatment plant.The new plant would reportedly add 30 million litres of water a day to Tawau's treated-water capacity, raising it from 131 million to 161 million litres a day and meeting projected demand until 2040.
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