Kabang Water Intake Upgrade At 94 Pct Completion, 21-Day Acceleration Plan Underway

PAPAR, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- The Kabang Water Intake Upgrading Project here has now reached 94 per cent physical progress, with a 21-day Acceleration Plan being implemented to complete the remaining critical works.

Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living  Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said he, together with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Papar Member of Parliament, inspected the project's progress today, particularly the final works at the intake area.

He said the 21-day Acceleration Plan had begun, with the first three days of work involving draining the pond and constructing the intake structural wall.

"This Acceleration Plan needs to be completed so that we do not continue to face the same situation in the future. Our priority is to ensure the remaining works are completed on schedule and, while at the same time minimising the impact on the people,” he said in a statement today.

He said the project, which began on March 10, 2025, is important as the capacity of the Kabang Intake will be upgraded from nine million litres to 30 million litres per day, making it an alternative source of raw water for the Limbahau Water Treatment Plant (LRA) and the Emergency Water Supply Scheme (EWSS) LRA.

"When the water source at the Limbahau intake is affected by salinity levels, turbidity or ammonia content exceeding safe limits, raw water from the Kabang Intake can be used to help ensure both treatment plants remain operational,” he said.

Armizan said the project's implementation had faced several constraints, including weather conditions, river levels and the state of the raw water source, while on-site work had previously been halted for 46 days due to salinity issues and for 71 days due to rain.

He said that under certain circumstances, the existing Kabang intake must also continue to be used to ensure the supply of raw water to both treatment plants is not disrupted.

He added that the remaining four per cent of the project involves critical components that must be completed before the upgraded capacity can become operational.

"The next works include the construction of the pump station, installation of pumps, pipe connections and system testing,” he said.

Armizan said that to complete the remaining critical work, the pond needs to be drained, and the existing Kabang Intake cannot be used during the first 16 days of the Acceleration Plan.

He added that operations of the existing Kabang Intake would also need to be temporarily suspended from day 17 to day 19 to allow for pipe connection work to the Limbahau LRA, while the final two days would be allocated for system testing and commissioning.

However, he said the temporary closure of the Kabang Intake need not necessarily result in water supply disruptions throughout that period, as the Limbahau LRA and the EWSS could still continue operating using raw water from the Limbahau Intake, provided the water quality remains suitable for treatment.

"However, if chloride levels rise to the point where the raw water is no longer suitable for treatment, water production may decrease, potentially resulting in low pressure or temporary supply disruptions in some areas,” he added.

-- BERNAMA