Lahad Datu water facilities safe despite poisoning fears

Alarms were raised when residents at Desa Kencana woke up this morning to find that their water taps had run dry following claims that the Filipino intruders had poisoned the water source around the conflict zone in Lahad Datu.

“When we woke up there was already no water,” said Bakil Bakrun, 61, who runs a homestay where several journalists are putting up.

The Felda village is only two kilometres away from the Ops Daulat media centre at Felda Sahabat Residence.

China Press had in its evening edition yesterday reported claims that Filipino intruders had targetted local villagers by poisoning the water source in the area.

A check on the water storage facility in Desa Kencana found it to be heavily guarded by the military and security was tight.

Soldiers there who spotted Malaysiakini conducted a search of our vehicle.

A soldier later confirmed that they, too, though based nearby to a water storage facility, had no water.

However, another check at Loji Rawatan Air B, some 10km away from Desa Kencana, found the facility to be safe and was guarded by auxiliary police.

‘Water treatment operations shortened’

A worker there who declined to be named told Malaysiakini that the dry taps in the area was not due to poisoning but because of shorter operation hours at the water treatment plant.

“We’re not getting water because the main plant is in the red zone and our workers there have shortened their operation hours for safety reasons.

“They used to operate 18 hours a day but this has been reduced to 12 hours a day.

“It is not for any other reason, it’s just that we’re not getting enough water until they start operating again,” he said.

A check at the main facility - Loji Rawatan Air C, which sits inside an oil palm plantation another 20km away, found that it, too, was also safe although the guard house was empty.

“We are just starting up the pumps now, we’re getting the fuel in,” the workers told Malaysiakini.

They said the water supply had not been compromised and the taps will run again in a few hours.