Kuching Water Board considers alternative methods such as electrochlorination

THE city’s water board is considering a safer alternative method to disinfect treated water.
The present method of using liquid chlorine at the Kuching Water Board’s (KWB) treatment plant in Batu Kitang could endanger residents nearby if there was a leak, said KWB acting general manager Paul Chan.
“The development of light industrial estates and housing projects in Jalan Batu Kitang has resulted in a tremendous increase in population density near the plant,” he said.

“One alternative is the electrochlorination method which involves the use of common salt or sodium chloride.
“However, KWB will need to study the financial implications before embarking on such a change,” he said when officiating at a chlorine-leak drill at the treatment plant near Kuching yesterday.
The plant’s Safety and Health Committee and KWB’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) held the drill for the third since 2006.

It was aimed at heightening the preparedness of the ERT members and treatment plant staff, and provide evacuation training for community leaders and headmasters of the nearby schools namely SJK Chung Hua and SK Batu Kitang.

Chan explained that chlorine was used in most water treatment plants for disinfection, but it was a very dangerous gas.

“Its danger is magnified when it is liquefied and packed into pressurised 930kg steel drums,” he said.
The most harmful chlorine exposure was from inhalation and the health effects began within seconds to minutes, depending on the amount of chlorine a person had been exposed to and the length of time of exposure, he said.

“The common symptoms are airway irritation, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, sore throat, cough, chest tightness, eye irritation and skin irritation,” he said.
Chan said that KWB had taken safety measures such as the installation of detectors, scrubber systems, the establishment of an emergency response plan and the formation of ERT.
“It is our responsibility to inform the public on our activities at the plant and the danger of chlorine if it leaks.
“The board has been educating nearby residents on what they need to do during such emergencies,” he added. - TheStar