THE Water Department will try to make regular checks of its assets in Tanjung Aru and Penampang to mitigate any irregularities, including dry taps and leaks, in these areas.
This follows separate feedback about the erratic supply at a residential property, off Jalan Aru, and the water wastage on Jalan Donggongon-Kasigui.
A consumer at the Waikiki Condominium bemoaned the loss of the supply in her tenth floor unit for close to a week recently, while a Papar motorist spoke out about the water gushing onto the main road near the Penampang Police and Fire Stations.
The repairs made to the damaged 150mm MSCL pipe can be seen here.
Both individuals furnished Hotline with the pertinent information about these problems, which was forwarded to the agency.
A Department spokesman said it was aware that some the property’s occupants only received tap water for a few hours each day, while others – particularly those living above the eighth floor – were unable to receive a drop at all.
He said the low pressure of the supply in the area contributed to this turn of events.
“A check of the distribution pipes along Jalan Aru was subsequently made, during which our staff noticed that the sluice valve at a section of the 300 millimetre (mm) main was malfunctioning,” he said.
He said its technicians set about replacing the faulty fixture shortly afterwards.
“They worked into the wee hours of Saturday to put a new valve in place. The strength of the main incoming supply to the condominium improved hours after the repairs were completed that day.”
He said the agency’s staff doubled-checked on the condition of the incoming supply to the condominium yesterday.
“They confirmed that water was reaching the Waikiki bulk-meter. At the time, the pressure of the supply was deemed to be acceptable.”
Nevertheless, in light of the shortage which many of the 234 unit-owners experienced, he said the Department’s personnel had been asked to make periodic checks of the distribution line leading to the property.
Where Jalan Donggongon-Kasigui was concerned, the spokesman said a mid-steel-cement-lined (MSCL) main along the road was found to have burst on Friday morning.
“The 150mm pipe began leaking at around 8am without warning,” he said.
The new sluice valve.
“We suspect that this may have happened due to wear and tear on the structure over the years.
He said the supply to the surrounding area was temporarily disrupted to allow repairs to be made.
“Our technicians had to dig down to the burst main which was buried below the road shoulder. They finished attending to the MSCL pipe later that afternoon.
“Affected consumers regained their tap water in stages, once sufficient pressure had built up in the pipes.”
MARGE of Tanjung Aru bemoaned the lack of a supply in her upper-floor condominium.
She claimed that, initially, her tap water had been reduced to a trickle.
After a day, she said not a drop was available.
“It is very inconvenient as my taps have run dry for days on end,” she said.
“Only the sound of air moving can be heard when the taps are turned on.”
At the time that she contacted Hotline, Marge said she had already gone without a supply for five days.
The Department’s technicians worked into the wee hours to repair the 300mm distribution main underneath the verge for Jalan Aru.
“Some families at Waikiki have been travelling to their friends’ home to bathe and use the toilet. Others have checked into hotels to get by.”
Marge and some of her neighbours had contacted the Department and management company (MC) several times about their predicament but the situation had yet to improve.
“The MC staff told me that they had written more than once to the agency about the problems at the property.
“I was made to understand that the Department’s staff merely responded that the weak pressure of the supply was to blame.”
At one stage, she said, the company paid to have water delivered via tanker to the property.
“However, this effort only offered us limited relief. By the next day, we were without a supply again.”
She admitted that it was very stressful to live at Waikiki under these circumstances.
KHALID of Papar, on the other hand, was puzzled to see water spilling over from the verge and onto the main road.
“The surface of the junction, at the section of the road where I saw this, was also damp,” he said.
“This caught my attention while I was driving towards Donggongon from the area where the Sports Complex is located.”
Khalid felt that it was a “gross negligence” for the supply to be going to waste in this manner.
“There must be a leaking pipe somewhere. I cannot understand how the Department can condone such wastage.”
