By Natasha Jee & Alexandra Lorna
KUCHING: Repair work on the affected pipeline at Batu 7 Jalan Miri-Bintulu is expected to be completed today (June 19).
Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi said that his ministry, its agencies, and Laku Management Sdn Bhd are making every effort to restore the water supply as soon as possible.
“So, it is expected that repair works will be completed by June 19 and water supply is expected to resume by Monday (June 20).
“However, this will depend on the weather condition. Hopefully, the weather is fine and repair works can be continue,” he said when met by reporters after attending the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu 15th Triennial General Meeting (TGM) at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) yesterday (June 18).
He said Laku Management Sdn Bhd has deployed its 18 water tankers to supply water to the affected residents, and they will be receiving another five more tankers from other divisions as well.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to the residents of Miri due to unexpected water interruption and we will be updating the public through our Laku Management in Miri, and of course through the response team in Miri itself,” he said.
Julaihi mentioned that about 80 percent of the areas were affected except for the old part of Miri.
“The pipe is a ductile iron pipe and was installed 30 years ago. It is one of the best pipes. However, investigation revealed that a 1,100mm diameter pipeline dislocation occurred due to soil instability and earth movement.
“This is beyond our expectation, and hopefully the pipeline will be connected as soon as possible,” said Julaihi.
The water supply interruption occurred since June 16.
