SHAH ALAM, 24 June: The Selangor Water Supply Company (Syabas) has been urged to solve the burst pipe problem on the seabed immediately to enable 5,921 users in Pulau Ketam and Sungai Lima receive clean water supply.
The Selat Kelang Assemblyman, Dr Halimah Ali, also urged Syabas to learn from past experiences and find the best method to prevent the recurrence of similar problems.
“Want it or not, Syabas needs to take this matter seriously by thinking about the best way to overcome this kind of cases from recurring.
“Otherwise, what would be an assurance for the residents in Pulau Ketam and Sungai Lima in future,” she explained when contacted by Selangor Kini.
Pulau Ketam and Sungai Lima experienced an unscheduled water outage since June 21 following a burst pipe on the seabed along the 18 kilometre pipe.
At least 1,184 consumer accounts in the two areas experienced an outage of clean water supply when the 450mm High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) reportedly had a leak.
In a statement, Syabas said that at least a week is needed for reparation work.
Syabas has also appointed professional divers and specialised repair equipment to repair the pipe on the seabed.
“Of course it causes inconvenience to the people there. They are not on the mainland where is easy to find a lifeline when the water in their storage tank finishes.
“It does not only affect the daily lives of the residents there, but the livelihood of hoteliers, seafood restaurants and also the fishing industry will be affected,” he said.
Previously, the residents of Pulau Ketan faced a water outage for over three weeks.
The incident that occurred on October 13, 2008, was also due to a pipe problem on the seabed.
Selangor Kini understands that the incident that took place in 2008 was due to a ship anchor that went through the pipe supplying clean water to Pulau Ketam.
“This is a recurring problem and Syabas acknowledged that the repairing work on the seabed is not an easy job and it requires a long time,” he said.
NS
