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Corpse-contaminated water in Tawau
12th May 2012 Photo above : More than 2,000
residents at the Taman Sri Titingan flats had been wondering why the
piped water they were consuming the past week smelled bad and was
whitish.
They were shock that the source of an unbearable stench in the
water supplied to their homes was caused by a corpse in one of the
nine water tanks.
The discovery was made when maintenance workers inspected the water
tanks on an 18-metre tower.
Many could not contain their anger when water maintenance personnel
confirmed finding a
decomposed naked man floating inside.
Police requested assistance from the Fire and Rescue Department to
retrieve the body. It took four hours as firemen had to cut the
water tank in order to take it out.
Residents said they had seen the man, believed to be in his 20s,
wandering near the tower before his decomposing body was found in
the tank.
Police said the man, believed to be mentally ill, had probably
drowned after climbing into one of the tanks to take a dip.
The residents, who were not satisfied with the explanation, accused
the management of being slow in responding to their complaints
despite being told of the repulsive smell in their water supply over
a week ago.
Photo above : Gruesome find: Firemen lowering the decomposing
remains of the man found in the water tank.
Drinking water from a decomposing
naked body of a mental sick man
It is shocking for everyone when such a terrible
case can happen to your drinking water source....
2,000 people at Taman Sri Titingan,
Tawau were sick to their stomachs when they discovered that a corpse
in a water tank was the reason behind the unbearable stench in their
tap water.
They noticed the stinky and milky
water in their taps about a week ago and had complained to the
housing estate's management.
Maintenance workers inspected the
water tanks on a 18m tower and found the decomposing remains of a
man in one of the nine tanks on 12 May 2012. Residents have seen the
20s man wandering near the tower on previous occasions. The man
likely had mental problems.
He probably climbed the tower and
took a dip in one of the tanks before drowning.
The residents accused the
management of being slow in reacting despite being told of the
repulsive smell in their water supply over a week ago. Many
had to buy bottled mineral water for consumption because the
stench from the water in the house.
“My family and I refused to
consume the supply ever since the disgusting smell started and
we resorted to bottled mineral water for our daily use....I
reported this to the management more than a week ago as soon as
I noticed something amiss with the water but they only said 'we
will check tomorrow'," Hasbi Salamat, 32
“This has really affected
the residents here. Imagine that instead of the body, it could
have been poison,” said Asman Aru
Tawau member of parliament Datuk
Chua Soon Bui, who contacted the management of the 500 units of the
People’s Housing Project (PPR) yesterday, was told that the
maintenance people had monitored The nine water tanks water tanks
for the past three days before the decomposing body of a man was
found inside one of them on 12 May 2012.
“The maintenance people had monitored the water until three days
ago. It was estimated that the mishap only happened two days
ago,” Datuk Chua Soon Bui said.
The incident had shocked the Tawau community and Sabah.
The body of the man in his 20s was found about 9am on 12 May 2012
during an inspection of the water tanks.
The body was believed to have submerged in water for about one week.
Police went to check the tanks following complaints on water
pollution from the residents at the squatter area.
Police did not find any injury signs on the victim’s body or any
element of crime, thus the case was classified case as sudden death.
“The local
government must ensure a proper management system is set up for PPR residential areas. Complaints received from residents should
not be taken lightly by housing management and should be
entertained immediately. Stiff action must be taken on the
current management team and should be replaced following their
irresponsible action and slow response to the residents’
complaints. How the local government could appoint a management
team that let the residents use contaminated water for two weeks
without investigating the complaint?” Democratic Action
Party (DAP) Tawau branch secretary Chan Foong Hin
Apas Assemblyman Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan,
who went to the scene, said the discovery of the body was shocking
since there had been no reports of a missing person in the area. He
urged the Water Department, Health Department and Chemistry
Department to conduct a study on the water there to ensure it is not
contaminated.
Tawau Municipal Council president, Datuk Ismail Mayakob said he
would be contacting the various government departments to handle the
issue. Investigations would also be conducted on the residents'
claim that the flats management did not entertain complaints about
the water condition, he said.
The flats residents committee chairman, Abdul Han Ab Majid,
presented a memo to the flats management demanding, among others :
1) compensation for consuming contaminated water.
2) demanded to be exempt from paying the water bills from April
until the water tanks have been replaced and for security personnel
to be stationed near the water tank tower.
3) demanded that temporary water supply be sent to the flats with
the cost to be borne by the flats management until normal water
supply resumed.
'Corpse in water tank' shock :
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=81487
Water Tanks :
http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/05/14/water-tanks-maintained-before-body-found/
Mayat Lelaki Bogel Di Tangki Air
Sri Titingan Tawau :
http://puadede.com/v1/mayat-lelaki-bogel-di-tangki
‘There’s a body in the tank’ :
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/5/14
"As a precaution, we will remove the contaminated water tank
and also enhance security aspects at the tower concerned by
placing barbed wire and fences around it and guarded by security
personnel. We are fencing up the area now and it will be
completed within two or three days,"
Tawau Municipal Council President Datuk Ismail
Mayakob
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Corpse-contaminated water discharged :
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=81509 21st May
2012 Residents of the Sri Titingan People's Housing Project (PPR)
staged a peaceful protest on 21st May 2012 Monday following the
discovery of a corpse inside one of its water tanks on May 12.
They held posters claiming RM1 million compensation for each unit
claiming they had consumed the contaminated water. They displayed
posters calling for the relevant authorities to act in accordance
with the 1Malaysia concept of "People's First, Performance Now".
The protest was conducted before the health check-up session of the
residents that was attended by State Finance Assistant Minister cum
Apas Assemblyman Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar, Tawau Municipal Council
President Datuk Ismail Mayakob and Tawau Health Director II, Dr
Mohammad Nazaruddin.
Several residents questioned the level of water security in the
housing and became emotional over the issue. However, Tawfiq assured
the residents that they should not worry over the supply of clean
water to their houses as it is safe to be consumed and that the
Health Department has taken proactive steps to clean up the water
tanks. Folks demand RM1m per unit over 'corpse water' :
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=81565
Residents at Taman Sri Titingan People’s Housing
Project (PPR) flats were assured that the water in the reserve water
tanks is safe for consumption when Assistant Finance Minister Datuk
Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan drank it on 21st May 2012.
“To prove the safety of the water, Tawau Municipal Council
president Datuk Ismail Mayakob and I will personally drink
the boiled tap water here.”
Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan
Various moves to ensure the safety of the water had been undertaken
by the Health Ministry. They included examination of the water, as
well as to clean and sanities the tanks that supply the water to the
residents in the area.
Tawfiq called on the residents at Taman Sri Titingan to look ahead
and to treat the incident as a lesson by one and all.
Dr Mohammad Nazaruddin of Tawau Hospital disclosed that the Health
Department would continue to monitor the quality of water supply in
Tawau district. All the water storage tanks at Taman Sri Titingan
had been replaced after the incident of dead body found in water
tank.
Chong (with black tie) explaining the claim procedure to the Sri
Titingan flat residents yesterday.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/06/08/rm100-mln-suit-over-corpse-in-tank/#ixzz1xCvJhtvk
The residents of Sri Titingan People’s Housing Project will be
filing a RM100 million claim against the Tawau Municipal Council and
the flat’s management over the discovery of a man’s corpse in one of
the water tanks that supply water to their homes.
Their counsel, Chong Kian Ming, said on June 7, 2012,
Thursday the claim would be filed at the Tawau High Court within two
weeks as soon as all the documentations are done.
Chong volunteered to help the residents due to the efforts of
Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Negara (PERKASA).
He said the claim is for the damages suffered by the residents,
taking into consideration the traumatic effect and negligence.
Chong said the residents would seek an order to replace all the
tanks and piping at the flats.
They staged a peaceful protest and demanded a RM1 million
compensation for the occupants of each housing unit there.
To reassure that the water was safe for consumption, State
Assistant Finance Minister cum Apas assemblyman Datuk Tawfiq Abu
Bakar and Tawau Municipal Council president drank the boiled water
from the tank during a dialogue session with the residents.
The Health Department also carried out inspection and monitoring
on the cleaning works of the affected water tanks and conducted
health check on the residents. 12 June 2012. A months has
passed, the case of a decomposing body of a drowned man inside a
water supply tank continues to haunt the thousand residents.
Residents of Taman Sri Titingan, are demanding compensation for the
“trauma” of knowing that they had been consuming befouled water and
they also want all the pipes supplying water to their homes and 500
storage water tanks replaced. The residents are now waiting for a
response from the relevant authorities.
Taman Sri Titingan is a government housing project near Tawau town
center. The Federal Ministry said that although the PPR (People’s
Housing Project) is undertaken by federal government, the buildings
were handed over to the state Local Government and Housing Ministry
and local authorities upon completion.
MP for Tawau Chua Soon Bui is one of those on the side of the
residents. She wants the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to
immediately replace all the water pipes and water tanks at the
housing project.
Chua recommended the drastic and expensive solution while briefing
the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Chor Chee Heung,
during the latter’s visit here earlier this week.
She also believes the residents should be compensated for the
distress and the government should not simply brush their demands
aside because they were unable to press their case.
She said the “clean-up” action taken by the local council and the
health authorities was inadequate and would not ease the minds of
residents that the water they were now being supplied through the
same tanks and pipes is clean and free from contamination.
“The authorities concerned must understand the mental ordeal and
psychological phobia of the residents after having consumed the
contaminated water for days.
“It is very sad to see that majority of the residents of the 500
units there, chose to carry their drinking water from the fire
hydrant and walk up to their apartments some on the third floor. It
is very disturbing that women and the old folks have to suffer this
on a daily basis,” she said.
“Chor nonetheless viewed the case as serious and promised to refer
it to the Sabah Minister and local authorities, to resolve the
problem.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/06/17/corpse-in-tank-haunts-tawau-authorities/
The residents announced earlier this month that they would be suing
the Tawau Municipal Council and the project’s management for RM100
million over the incident.
Their counsel, Chong Kian Ming, who has volunteered to represent
them said the claim would be filed at the Tawau High Court as soon
as all the documentation was completed.
He said the claim is for the damages suffered by the residents,
taking into consideration the traumatic effect and negligence and
they would also seek an order to replace all the tanks and piping at
the flats.
The body was believed to have submerged in water for about a week
and district police chief ACP Ibrahim Chin said that as there were
no signs of any injury signs on the victim the case was classified
case as sudden death.
According to reports residents had noted a foul stench emanating
from their tapes for over a week before the body of the drowned man
was discovered and had reported it to the management.
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