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THE Water Department will step up efforts to check on the condition of its distribution mains in Beaufort and Likas to ensure that consumers are not unduly inconvenienced by pipe-bursts in these areas.

This action was prompted by feedback about the water wastage taking place at both locations. 

A Taman Foh Sang homeowner bemoaned the supply which had been gushing into a drain along the main road near the Beaufort neighbourhood.

A Kepayan motorist, on the other hand, spoke out about the clear fluid which had been seeping onto the road near the Jalan Damai-Jalan Bersatu intersection for more than a month.

He said the moisture was evident on the surface of the stretch even when the weather was hot.

Both individuals furnished Hotline with the pertinent details, regarding their grievances, which were forwarded to the Water, Sewage Services and Public Works Departments.

A Water Department spokesman said its staff found that part of its asbestos cement (AC) distribution-line along Jalan Lumatai, in Beaufort, had sprung a leak on Sunday morning.

“They noticed that the supply was escaping through a crack in a 225-millimetre pipe into the surrounding area,” he said. “We suspect that this may have happened due to wear and tear on the structure. The water main was installed in this part of the town many years ago.”

He said a notice was sent out over social media around noon that day to alert the affected consumers about potential disruptions.

Besides Taman Foh Sang, the other areas impacted by the burst included Taman Muhibah, the Vocational College and the 1Beaufort building, as well as those at Miles 2-5 and Pekan Seberang.

The spokesman said the emergency work had to be temporarily suspended on Sunday to allow Sabah Electricity and Telekom Malaysia Bhd to relocate their respective overhead lines. 

“The repairs resumed the next morning after these companies had shifted their assets away.”

He said an excavator was deployed to fashion a trench so that the agency’s technicians could reach the damaged pipe. The supply was restored after the “emergency works” were completed several hours later, according to him.

“Consumers regained their tap water in stages, once sufficient pressure had built up in the pipes,” he said.

In the case of Jalan Damai and Jalan Bersatu, the agency is trying to determine if any part of the supply-line beneath the affected section of these roads may be damaged.

Another spokesman for the Department said it had been informed by the Sewage and Services Department (SSD) that the pipes there could be leaking.

The agency initially dismissed this possibility when contacted by the media, saying that the run-off in the roadside drains might be overflowing onto the stretch.

A spokesman for the Public Works Department (PWD) shot down this claim, saying that there was nothing amiss with the drainage on Jalan Damai and Jalan Bersatu, both of which were listed in the agency’s road register.

He said the fluid pooling on the road could be sewage, if it was not tap water.

A SSD spokeswoman said a team of its technicians confirmed the presence of the clear fluid pooling on Jalan Bersatu, shortly after learning what was transpiring in this part of Damai.

She said two samples of the liquid were taken from the road, one of which was tested on the spot while the other was sent to the Department’s laboratory.

“A chemical solution was added to the former sample which changed colour as it would if chlorine was present,” she said. “Our team was of the opinion that the fluid was tap water.”

She said a further check revealed that there were no sewage-related structures, including manholes or pipes, on the road.

“Owing to this, we strongly believe that the clear fluid cannot be sewage.”

The spokeswoman said its peers at the Water Department were informed about these findings.

“We called on our Water Department colleagues to make a detailed inspection of their assets in the area.”