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THE Water Department is keeping tabs on the supply to two areas in Likas and one in Inanam, following feedback about the dry taps at these locations over the past week.

A Taman Prestij homeowner spoke out about the lack of water in his premises since March 30. An Ujana Kingfisher consumer and another in Kg Likas, meanwhile, experienced a similar predicament for a few days recently.

The affected consumers provided Hotline with the relevant details, including their address, which were forwarded to the agency.

A Department spokesman said problems with some of the agency’s installations at two of its pumphouses gave rise to the water woes at Taman Prestij.

“A bypass pipe at our Taman Fantasi pumphouse sprung a leak before 11am yesterday,” he said.

“About an hour before this, the pump and some of the mechanisms in the control panel at our Istana pumphouse were found to be malfunctioning.”

He explained that the burst pipe was of the Mid-Steel-Cement Lined (MSCL) variety with a diameter of 150millimetres.

“Wear and tear had taken its toll on the MSCL pipe, pump and faulty components as each of these fixtures were put in place years ago.”

A pair of notices about these irregularities was issued on social media on Monday, with the Department calling on its customers to use the water in their storage tanks sparingly.

Among those who felt the pinch, were those living and working on Jalan Pinggir, Jalan Istana, Jalan Pencetakan Baru and Lorong Merbuk, as well as occupants of units at Taman Fantasi and Taman Ujana Seri Fantasi.

The spokesman said repairs commenced at both pumphouses at around 10.30am and 11.30am respectively.

This emergency work was completed by 4.30pm that same day, according to him, with the affected consumers regaining their supply in stages once sufficient pressure had built up in the main distribution line servicing their areas.

The spokesman declined to comment when asked about what might have triggered the water woes in Taman Prestij since last Monday.

He said maintenance on the agency’s pumps and related components was carried out according to a fixed schedule.

“They are checked once every two or three months. This periodic maintenance involves ensuring that the control panel, including the automatic sensor, works as it should.  The components are also greased as and when this becomes necessary.”

Nevertheless, in light of the recent water woes, he said, the Department’s technicians had been asked to step up efforts to check on the fixtures at its Taman Fantasi and Istana pumphouses.

In case of the problems at Ujana Kingfisher and Ujana Kingfisher and along Lorong Tabib, in the Kg Likas area, he said the supply to these areas was disrupted because of work to replace a “flowmeter” at its R13 reservoir, near Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

“This device is used to measure water usage by individual households or communities,” he explained.

He said movement of water in and out of the R13 reservoir was temporarily halted for 10 hours to accommodate the replacement work which got underway from 9pm.

“A notice was sent out over social media hours earlier at 10.30am to alert consumers about the potential disruption which they might experience.”

Besides those in Ujana Kingfisher and Kg Likas, consumers at the Federal Administrative Complex, Alam Mesra, Kg Suang Parai and Kg Pulau Penampang also felt the impact from the replacement effort.

The spokesman said it took between two to three days for some consumers to recover properly from the 7disruption. This was especially so if their premises was located on higher ground or towards the end of the Department’s distribution-line, according to him.