Main water line flushed to minimise sediment
Published on: Tuesday, August 31, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
Action being taken to put the ‘T-junction’ in place for the crossing to the R13 reservoir.
THE Water Department has flushed the main distribution line servicing both phases of University Apartments (UA) to minimise the presence of sediment in the water coming from some taps around Manggatal.This follows the concerns expressed by a Phase 1 unit-owner about the poor quality of the supply which she had been receiving.ADVERTISEMENT
The consumer said the water from her tap looked “brown and dirty”. This made her wonder if it had been properly purified.
She provided Hotline with the dates when she had noticed this problem. This information was forwarded to the agency.
A Department spokesman said a water disruption had occurred in one part of the town twice over the span of four days, during this period.
Besides UA, he said, those staying at University Prime Condominiums, University Condominium Apartments Phase 1 and Taman Rimbunan Hijau also felt the impact of these temporary outages.
The Department cleaned the main pipes leading to UA1 by having them flushed.
ADVERTISEMENT “The first disruption was carried out on a Thursday afternoon so that a 300 milimetre Mid-Steel-Cement-Lined (MSCL) water main along Jalan Sulaman could be shifted and reconnected elsewhere,” he said.
“The supply was next disrupted on Sunday so that “a crossing” could be fashioned to the R13 reservoir.”
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This work involved installing a “T-junction and valve” at a section of the distribution mains for Manggatal, according to him.
“Sediment was stirred up in the transmission pipes when a supply next flowed through the water mains after these disruptions were over,” he said.
“Our staff spent several hours flushing the distribution line, after we were contacted by the media, to ensure that the water inside the pipes was clear.”
He said this was the second time in as many days that the pipes had been cleaned.
This was previously done a few hours after the supply was restored, according to him.
The spokesman said the Department’s personnel also spoke to the management company (MC) for UA1 about the condition of the water tanks inside the compound.
“We suspect that the impurities from the transmission pipes might have entered the tanks and settled at the base of these receptacles.
“The MC staff were asked to check the tanks and have them cleaned, should this have happened.”
He said the agency would be keeping an eye on the quality of the supply to UA1 to allay any doubts its consumers might have about the safety of the tap water on the property.
Workers checking on the connection to the valve which was in the process of being installed.
ABI of Manggatal said the colour of the water in second-floor unit resembled a chocolate beverage.
“It looks like Milo. This has been happening for the past six days,” she said.
“On some days, I get ‘Milo Kau’ (Thick Milo) when I turn on the tap while, on others, I get ‘Milo C’ (Light Milo).”
She shared her observations with a friend who lives in Phase 2 who said she feared using the water to cook, let alone bathe her pet.
Abi was concerned about the negative impact of drinking such a questionable supply.
“I hope the Department will improve the cleanliness of the water being channelled to UA.”
She said the water quality had gradually been deteriorating since the supply to her unit had become erratic in the third week of August.
“During this period, I only received some tap water in the evenings between 6-8pm. Before this, the supply had been available round-the-clock.”
She said she had wearied of reporting these water woes to the agency and MC.
The Department also tested the strength of the water reaching the bulk-metre for UA1.
A spokesman for UA1’s MC refuted the claim that the water woes had gone on for more than a week, saying that the shortage had only lasted for “four days”.
“During this period, we had to control the incoming supply to ensure that enough tap water entered the water tanks inside our compound,” he said.
“If we didn’t do this, then only those living on the ground floor would be able to receive a supply.”
He said the MC had kept the Department apprised of the shortage at the apartments.
“At one stage, the agency sent eight tankers to UA1. Each of these vehicles had a capacity of about 2,500 litres.”
When Hotline contacted the MC, the firm was no longer controlling the flow of water to the different blocks there.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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The property is made up of a total of 1, 424 units, spread out over 26 blocks, according to him.
“The supply has since been restored to normal. We make hourly checks of the amount of tap water coming into our property.”