PAPAR, March 16 — Two water treatment plants (LRA), the Emergency Water Supply Scheme (EWSS) and Jenama LRA in Kampung Limbahau are set to resume operations next month aimed at increasing the water supply in Papar, which has been affected by drought.

Papar Member of Parliament Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the LRAs had to stop operations on Feb 17 because the raw water source had reached the ‘water intake’ points of both LRAs, resulting in significantly high salinity levels.

He said Papar had been experiencing hot weather and drought conditions for nearly two months, exacerbated by the El-Nino phenomenon, adding that the drought is projected to persist in the district until the end of this month.

“These two plants were shut down for 26 days last year. Normally, when there’s rain, particularly upstream, flowing into the water intake, the salinity decreases, blocking seawater from entering.

“These LRAs only work when the salt levels are low enough. We’re hoping for rain in April so that we can celebrate Aidilfitri with enough water supply,” he told reporters after visiting the Rahmah Sales Programme (PJR) and Rahmah Ramadan Bazaar at the Papar Weekly Market here today.

Elaborating, Armizan said the standard permissible salinity level for untreated water is less than 120 milligrams (mg) per litre, but the level at the LRAs this morning was 4,277 mg per litre, far exceeding the treatment threshold.

“The suspension of operations at both LRAs has caused disruptions to the water supply for over 50,000 residents, and this is not the first time it has happened. Therefore, I believe it is necessary to explore alternatives to the existing water intake for both LRAs,” said Armizan who is also the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister.

He said that a possible solution is to build a new water intake in Kampung Kabang which would cost around RM20 million and this idea has been shared with Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, the Sabah Minister of Works, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister III.

“With this proposal, if there are more problems with the water sources at these two LRAs, we have a backup plan with the water intake in Kampung Kabang to supply water to residents,” he added.

Armizan also mentioned the ongoing upgrade project for the Kogopon LRA, which started in August last year which is 6.3 per cent completed as of Feb 25, and projected to complete by Aug 2026.

He said this upgrade will play a key role in improving the water supply in the district. — Bernama