Pipe replacement work on schedule

The Star 13/12/2005 By VIVIENNE PAL

THE FIRST phase of the water pipe replacement programme in the most critical areas of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya is on schedule, said Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) CEO Ruslan Hassan.

“The first phase of the programme will see 835km of old water pipes replaced at a cost of RM317 million,” said Ruslan during the programme launch in Bandar Baru Bangi on Saturday.

“We have made replacements in a few critical areas including Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat and various parts of Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya,” he said.

Also falling in the critical area category are Shah Alam, Klang, Gombak, Kuala Selangor, Sepang and Sabak Bernam.

The event marked the start of the programme in the Hulu Langat district, which has been fraught with age-old incidences of disrupted water supply, dirty water and burst and leaking pipes.

About 66km of old water pipes will be replaced in Bangi at a cost of RM25million. The repairs will also facilitate water supply to residents living in the hillier housing estates.

Repair works also commenced in Kajang (41km at a cost of RM16million) and Sabak Bernam (86km at a cost RM18.5million) that day.

Since the initiation of the programme this year, Syabas has identified 6,000km of asbestos cement pipes requiring immediate replacement at a cost of RM1.2 billion.

Syabas’ records indicate that the company has a pipe network spanning a distance of 12,000km in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

According to Ruslan, the financing of the project comes from Syabas as well as a Non-Revenue Water (NRW) grant awarded by the federal government.

“Allocation from the NRW grant is RM250 million, while Syabas is forking out RM1.2 billion for the project,” he said.

On water theft, Ruslan said there had been a reduction in such cases as many illegal users were coming forward to register for legal water supply since May.

“We had a programme in May giving illegal water users a chance to come forward and register themselves before we act against them.

“About 2,000 new accounts were registered with Syabas during that period,” he said, adding that to-date, action had already been taken against errant consumers in about 700 premises.