THE Water Department is keeping tabs on the supply to an Inanam neighbourhood, and another in Kepayan, following feedback about the erratic supply at the former and wastage taking place at the latter.
An Ujana Kingfisher consumer was unhappy about the unstable supply which he and his neighbours on Lorong Ujana 11 had been receiving for some time recently.
On “good days”, water dripped from the taps in his house according to him, while not a drop was available on “bad days”.
A Penampang resident, on the other hand, spoke out about the supply escaping from a meter outside a house in Taman Sri Kepayan.
She had been dropping off some old clothes at a house on Lorong Sri Kepayan 4, when she noticed the water spraying onto the verge.
The friend, who received these items, told her that it was particularly disheartening that treated water was going to waste, given the supply woes which had been taking place in the neighbourhood.
Both individuals provided Hotline with the pertinent details, regarding their grievances, which were forwarded to the agency.
A Department spokesman said the water pressure at some homes had been impacted by the fluctuating levels of water at its R13 reservoir.
“We had to perform water water-balancing and pressure-calibration exercises over a few days in order to stabilise the supply to the housing areas,” he said.
The spokesman said the agency’s personnel, subsequently, went around Ujana Kingfisher to release any airlocks which had formed in the distribution pipes leading to the individual meters there.
“They confirmed that water was reaching the meter-owners, in these instances, and that the pressure of the supply was strong.
“A check was also made of our pump-house for the neighbourhood. Our staff confirmed that the duty pump was activated and that the ground tanks inside the compound were full.”
The agency had called on its staff to be more mindful of any irregularities at R13 to minimise the likelihood of its consumers being similarly inconvenienced in future, according to him.
The spokesman said it hoped to keep the equipment at its Kingfisher pump-house functioning as it should by boosting the levels at the reservoir.
“A sensor switches the water-pump off, when the levels are low, and switches it on, when the level next reach the required height.”
He said, from time to time, the pump had to be manually reactivated, after an electricity disruption.
“Our pump operators have been asked to be more wary of any blackouts and to be more prompt in switching on the device after the power is restored.”
There were two pumps housed at the installation: one for daily use, while the other was on stand-by, according to him.
The spokesman said maintenance was carried out on the pumps once every two or three months, according to a fixed schedule.
“This work involves ensuring that the control panel, including the automatic sensor, functions normally.
“The pumps’ components are greased as and when this becomes necessary.”
He said the Department’s technicians had been asked to step up their inspections of these devices to ensure that they did not break down.
“This is done daily in select areas from Ujana Kingfisher all the way to the KKIP which have been identified as ‘trouble spots’.”
In the case of Taman Sri Kepayan, the spokesman said an inspection was made of Lorong Sri Kepayan 4, on the same day that the Department learned about what had been transpiring there.
“Our staff found that some of the connections at the meter-stand for the home in question had come loose and dealt with them accordingly,” he said. “There was nothing to indicate that the pipes had been tampered with in some misplaced attempt to pilfer the supply.”
He said any air locks inside the section of the supply-line leading to the meter were cleared, after the repairs had been completed.
The contractor’s worker confirmed that water was reaching the device, according to him. He said the pressure in the supply-line was found to be acceptable in this instance.
“Nevertheless, in light of what happened, our staff have been asked to be on the lookout for irregularities like this.”
He said such vigilance would go a long way to curbing further wastage.
“It will also ensure that our consumers Taman Sri Kepayan are not unduly inconvenienced by any unforeseen water disruptions.”
