KUCHING: The water pipeline leakage that affected residents in Jalan Sultan Tengah, Bandar Baru Semariang, Kampung Rampangi, and the surrounding areas in Santubong on Wednesday (Aug 25) was caused by technical issues.
According to Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication, Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, the pipe was relatively new and for it to experience leakage could be due to wrong installation.
“Nevertheless, I would not be able to further comment on the issue because I do not have complete information on the matter.
“However, we will do an investigation on what caused the problem.”
Dr Abdul Rahman spoke to the media after officiating the closing ceremony of the Hari Potensi Kanak-Kanak Tabika Kemas Zon 1 Kuching at Yayasan Sarawak on Friday (Aug 26).
Touching on the pipe leakage, he said that it was mostly due to the pipes installed being more than 30 years old.
“When the pipes are that old, they are mostly made out of AC pipe material and asbestos cement, which makes the pipe leak easily.
“When the pipe is made out of the said materials and exposed for a long time to the elements, it will become fragile over time and will cause leakage.
“Moreover, the additional projects in the area to increase the water supply where we build new stations equipped with a booster pump is also one of the factors.
“The new station will produce high water pressure and when it passes through these old pipes, they could not sustain the pressure, thus leakage will occur,” explained Dr Abdul Rahman.
He urged the public to call Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department (for rural areas) or the local water board if pipe leakage occurred as they are available 24 hours.
Meanwhile, when asked about the upgrading of the Sarawak Alternative Rural Electrification Scheme (SARES) system in Bario, he said the area was provided with a hybrid electrical supply system.
“This system has been implemented since 2018 where we are using the combination of the solar panel and diesel (generators) as its alternative.
“During the day, the area will be powered with solar and will be replaced with the usage of diesel from time to time.
“Bottom line is, Bario already has electricity supply. However, we may need to provide additional supply to the area seeing as the population there is increasing.”
