RESIDENTS and businesses in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, already reeling with the knowledge they will not have water supply for the next 48 hours, should brace themselves for this: the disruptions are expected to go on until 2019.

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) told The Malaysian Insight that it identified 84 hot spots, (areas with most frequent pipe bursts and leaks), covering 422km of aging water pipes, to be replaced between 2016 and 2019.

Syabas said the government has allocated RM142.6 million to replace the aging pipelines in 34 hot spots this year.

This statement came after Syabas was inundated with phone calls from irate consumers yesterday over the sudden water disruption, which affected 307,000 account holders in 280 areas in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

The latest disruption was because of a burst pipe at the ELC International School, West Sierramas in Jalan Sg Buloh yesterday.

Syabas had earlier said supply to the affected areas will be fully restored within 48 hours, but in another statement last night, it announced that the burst pipe was replaced and supply to affected areas is being restored in stages.

Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) corporate communications head Amin Lin Abdullah said most of the pipes in Selangor and KL are of the asbestos cement types, which are more than 30 years old. 

“These pipes frequently burst or leak due to the material and its age.”

The asbestos cement pipes will be replaced with the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes which are more robust and resilient to water pressure.

Meanwhile, residents and business operators in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor are seeing red over the frequent water disruptions. They want Syabas to take proactive measures to ensure that their livelihood and businesses are not interrupted by the cuts.

Petaling Jaya, Section 12 residents’ association president A. Narayanan said they are frustrated with the frequent water supply disruptions.

“This is the third time this year we had to endure water disruptions in the neighbourhood.

“The main question is, why is this happening so often?”

Narayanan said the residents are finding it difficult to go about their daily activities because of the disruptions. “Even if the residents get half the quantity they use a day, it is something,” he said.

Bukit Bandaraya residents’ association president M. Ali said it is the responsibility and the moral obligation of the company that is in charge, whether it is Syabas or any other operator, to ensure there are no disruptions.

“The residents face hardships each time there is a disruption. KL and Selangor are high-density areas. Even a single day’s disruption can affect thousands of families,” he said.

“How can the disruptions be occurring frequently? There must be scheduled maintenance and the operators must move fast in solving the issues. The mitigating measures should already be in place.”

Malaysia Shopping Mall Association adviser H.C. Chan said, as a major consumer, the water disruption is costly to business operators.

“This is not good for any business, especially for mall operators. We can stand to lose a lot of money because of the disruptions.

“Water is crucial for mall operators because without it, we can’t run our central air-conditioning system. Who then wants to come to a mall which has no air-conditioning? This will affect our business severely.

“We might have supply for a day, but to wait 48 hours is too long. How, to run a business for two days without water?” – April 28, 2017.