Dry taps in KL

UPDATE 9.22pm: The breakdown at two pump houses that led to water disruption around the capital since Dec 29 has been fixed. Read full report here.

--

UPDATE 12.50pm: Syabas blames the Selangor government for the water disruption as reported by The Star;  Bernama starts its article with the word "Torture".

-------

It was the first day of new schooling semester.

It was the first day back of work for some city folks.

It was also a day where housewives and maids were supposed to get the clothes washed and hung out to dry under the hot morning sun after a long vacation due to the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Sadly, more than half a million city dwellers were forced to start the year without water.

I met several people yesterday and the subject was all about water. A fellow journo based in Bandar Sri Permaisuri, had on his BBM, claimed he has been suffering water disruption since New Year's eve.

A photographer, staying near Bandar Tun Razak, said he has not been able to enjoy a good shower for the past five days.

A young girl from Ampang said she has not enjoy steady water supply for the past two weeks!

However, there are others who still enjoy washing their cars, watering their flowers and spending an hour in the bathtub after a long day at work.

A Bernama report read; Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) expects water supply that affected more than half a million people in 90 areas around the city capital, will be fully resume within a week.

Syabas Chief Executive Officer Ruslan Hassan said the breakdown in two pump houses in Wangsa Maju and Pudu Hulu Baru would be addressed soon but the water distribution process to affected areas would take a week.

Read the full press release by Syabas here.

Two faulty pumps are said to be culprit although some have gone to the extend of linking the disruption to the on-going 'feud' between Syabas and the Selangor state government as reported here.

Selangor state excoDr Xaview Jayakumar calls its "careless and irresponsible" as published on The Malaysian Insider.

The report, dated December 27, 2012, read;

....(Presiden Persatuan Pengguna Subang dan Shah Alam) Dr (Jacob) George berkata apa yang terjadi ekoran pendirian yang diambil oleh Khalid berhubung isu air ialah “gajah berlawan dengan gajah tetapi pelanduk yang mati di tengah-tengah”, iaitu rakyat, pengguna negeri Selangor dengan masalah pemotongan air dilaporkan di beberapa kawasan ekoran kekurangan bekalan.
Sebagai contoh, minggu lepas, beberapa kawasan di sekitar Pandan Perdana, Pandan Indah, Taman Taynton View dan Taman Bukit Segar di Cheras mengalami gangguan bekalan air berikutan penurunan paras kolam utama yang dikesan sejak awal minggu.

Menurut Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas), ia berpunca daripada permintaan bekalan air yang meningkat mendadak sejak kebelakangan ini dan melibatkan lebih 9,000 pengguna.

If faulty pumps were to be the issue - shouldn't there be continuous maintenance checks? Shouldn't there be a back up supply to minimise the disruption? And most importantly, is such a thing acceptable in the nation's capital that gears towards being a developed nation by 2020?

Here is the list of affected areas;

Flat DBKL Dato’ Keramat, Jalan Padang Tembak, Jalan Semarak, Jalan Gurney, Kementah, Pulapol, Wisma Tanah, JUPEM, UTM, FELDA,  Telekom Training Centre, Jalan U Thant, Jalan Ampang Hilir, Taman Pandan Jaya, Taman Cempaka, Taman Bakti, Taman Nirwana, Kampung Pandan Dalam, Taman Cahaya, Pandan Cahaya, Taman Dagang, Taman Shamelin, Taman Tenaga, Taman Miharja, Taman Kobena, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Desa Pandan, Flat Sri Melaka, Taman Melur, Taman Saga, Taman Mega Jaya, Taman Teratai, Taman Muda, Taman Seraya, Taman Bukit Permai, Kampung Cheras Baru, Kampung Baru Ampang, Kampung Melayu Ampang, Taman Hillview, Bukit Jobina, Taman Dato Ahmad Razali, Taman Bukit Indah, Taman TAR, Kampung Tasek Permai, Ukay Heights, Ampang Jaya, Dataran Ukay, Pinggiran Ukay, Sri Ukay, Beverly Heights, Ampang Indah, Ampang Saujana, Ampang Water Front, Bandar Baru Ampang, Bukit Ampang Permai, Bukit Indah, Desa Lembah Permai, Desa Setapak, Jalan Ampang, Kampung Bukit Sungai Puteh, Keramat AU 1 to AU 5, Kampung Ampang Campuran, Kampung Indah Mulia, Kampung Kemensah, Kampung Lembah Jaya, Kampung Pinggir Tiga Jaya, Kampung Tengah Lembah Jaya, Lembah Jaya Utara, Lembah Jaya Selatan, Sri Rampai, Taman Ampang, Taman Dagang Permai, Taman Pandan Ria, Taman Permai Jaya, Taman Permata, Taman Saujana, Ampang Tasek Tambahan, Taman Ampang Mewah, Taman Ampang Utama, Taman Bukit Ampang, Taman Cahaya Ampang, Taman Dagang Jaya, Taman Halaman, Taman Kesuma Ampang, Taman Kosas, Taman Mulia Jaya, Taman Rasmi Jaya, Taman Sri Ampang, Taman Watan and Wangsa Melawati.

For more information contact Syabas' Customer Service Centre hotline at 1-800-88-5252 or via SMS by sending PUSPELcomplaint/enquiry to 39222 or through Syabas Facebook and Twitter pages.

HD says: Oh boy....