KUDAT: Minister of Special Tasks Datuk Teo Chee Kang has assured the residents in Kudat that the water supply is sufficient to cope with the drought season brought about by the El Nino phenomenon.
Teo, who is also Tanjong Kapor assemblyman, said the water level at Milau Dam was sufficient to provide water supply to users in Kudat and Matunggong even if there was no rainfall in the next 10 months due to El Nino.
He said this when inspecting Milau Dam where he was briefed on the current water level here.
Teo said the onslaught of the El Nino had given rise to bush fires while well water, rivers and streams were drying up.
“The villagers are worried about the shortage of water supply.
“The Barisan Nasional (BN) government is also concerned about the impact of El Nino on the livelihood of Kudat residents.”
Teo said the normal water level at Milau Dam stood at 34 metres, but has now dropped to 31.5 metres or 60 per cent since the onset of the drought.
“The dam will be able to provide water even if there is no rainfall in the next 10 months.
“Hence, residents in Kudat and Matunggong need not worry about water supply shortages,” he reassured.
Nonetheless, Teo urged water users to conserve water resources and avoid wastage.
He added that the Kudat Natural Disaster Committee had been instructed to monitor the water supply in the district closely.
“The committee will deliver free water supply to the residents immediately when there is a shortage of water supply,” he said.
Meanwhile, a random check in Labuan revealed that the island is not facing any shortage of water supply.
The principal of SMK Pantai, Sahar Misron, said that the school had not encountered any water shortage.
“Even though we have no water shortage at the moment, the director of Labuan Education Department has asked us to prepare tanks to store water supply.
“In my former school at SMK Lajau, we reserve water for the dry season,” he said.
However, he was surprised that the new water tariff for the school had been raised recently.
“We understand that Labuan is the pilot project for the new billing system for water where all schools are in the same situation,” he said.
A villager at Kampung Lajau, Daimasara Sani, also reported no water shortage.
The water supply in Labuan Island comes from Beaufort, Sabah and it is learnt that it is sufficient to cater for the people’s daily needs here.