Capital In Chaos Without Water
By M K Anwar & Hj Minor Absah

Bandar Seri Begawan - People woke up yesterday to a nightmare scenario of no water in many areas in Brunei Muara and Tutong Districts, as the Water Services Department and Department of Electrical Services officials were on a war footing to get the situation under control.

Some of the residents only realised that taps have run dry in the morning as the daily household chores began. Houses with their own water tanks were luckily spared from having their supply disrupted but those with large families saw the supply dwindling fast by the evening.

The Water Services Department and Department of Electrical Services both had heavy tasks on their hands to attend to the demands of the public for water.

A statement issued by the Director of Water Services on Wednesday said the interruption was due to a power failure at the main DES source at Lumut that affected the power supply to major water treatment plants in Bukit Barun, which serves Brunei Muara District and some parts of Tutong.

Repair work on the damaged cable was completed at about 6pm yesterday and water was expected to resume by midnight.

The department's hotline was also inundated with calls for tanker services.

In some affected areas, the water pressure was low while it was barely a trickle in other areas.

Repair work on a 66kV cable in Kg Penapar, said to be the reason behind the power failure, was conducted at a frenetic pace and a maintenance crew of 10 from the Department of Electrical Services in Gadong finished the job by yesterday evening.

For some, the water disruption couldn't have come at a worse time as people observed 'Nisfu Syaaban', a night highlightedwith religious activities and devotion.

Some families had organised gatherings including a feast at the end of religious activities.

Areas affected yesterday included Kg Mata Mata, Kg Sg Hanching, Kg Sg Tilong, Beribi, Kg Katok and Kg Rimba.

Anticipating the worst, the Water Services Department set up standpipes to provide water supply and extended their water tank services.

Many who had called for water tankers were served as quickly as possible.

According to those manning the Water Services Hotline, more than 700 calls were received since yesterday requesting for water tanks.

Eight tankers, each able to carry 1,600 gallons of water, were dispatched to several strategic locations in Kiulap, Jalan Babu Raja, Jalan Berakas, Jalan Kebangsaan and many more.

Blue tanks were also made available yesterday at Jalan Tasek Lama in Brunei Muara and at the Syarikat Kerjasama Tanjung Maya and Masjid Kampong Layong in Tutong.

Stand pipes meanwhile were available at Jalan Tasek Lama, Masjid Serdang, Jalan Kota Batu, Simpang Jalan Tanah Jambu Kanan in front of Koperasi Persatuan TIBA shop in Brunei Muara and at the Sg Liang Mosque in Tutong.

Shops also saw a steep rise in the sale of bottled water yesterday and the demand remained high until late in the evening.

Several corner shops said that their stock of bottled water was fast running out in afternoon while empty shelves awaited many customers at many other shops.

The water problem has been compounded by the fact that Bruneians' water consumption is among the highest in the region.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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