PAPAR: The Sabah government has agreed to perform cloud seeding to address the declining water supply due to a prolonged dry spell.
State Public Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said except for the dam at Sebatik Island, which has dried up, others could sustain water supply for another three months.
The Meteorological Department has stated that the drought in the state will continue until mid-year.
"Last night, the state cabinet meeting agreed to conduct cloud seeding upstream to increase water for the river, contributing to our affected water treatment plants and those using gravity water.
"We will conduct cloud seeding in the near future, particularly in mountainous areas that are also water catchments.
"As for Sebatik Island, which now relies on tube wells, it will also be assisted with water supply distribution by the Tawau Municipal Council," he told the media after visiting the Limbahau raw water intake plant here.
Shahelmey, who is also the Putatan member of Parliament, said the Limbahau plant, which caters to 52,000 residents in the surrounding area, has ceased operations for 20 days.
Due to a drop in the level of river water at the plant, he said seawater has infiltrated into the water supply.
For now, he said the community here will have to use water from the Kogopon plant and water distribution from local authorities.
He also added that there is a six-month plan to build a second Limbahau treatment plant that will not be affected by seawater infiltration.
Regarding the notice issued by the Sabah Water Department on water disruption starting today for the west coast of Sabah, Shahelmey apologised for the misinterpretation of the '10-day disruption' that had angered and caused panic among people.
He added that despite there being maintenance work, which is inevitable, the relevant authorities would find ways to compensate and minimise disruption.