Sarawak Water: Tests tonight to trace major leak and determine whether 20,000 or 70,000 Miri consume

MIRI, June 9 — Sarawak Water Sdn Bhd will begin preliminary testing on affected transmission pipelines at 10pm tonight to identify the source of a major leak here.

Sarawak Water acting chief executive officer Malseni Jamal said the assessment would involve temporarily shutting off a 750mm valve to establish whether the leak originates from the 750mm pipeline or the larger 1.1 metre pipeline.

“If the leak is traced to the 750mm pipeline, approximately 20,000 households, representing about 30 per cent of consumers in Miri could be affected when repair works commence on Wednesday (June 10), with valve closure scheduled for 5pm,” she told a press conference.

Malseni said if the leak is traced to the 750mm pipeline, the areas affected would be Taman Jelita, Taman Tunku, Jalan Engkabang, Sungai Rait, Eastwood, Hilltop, and Riam.

However, if the leak is from the 1.1 metre pipeline, more than 70,000 consumers, which is equivalent to 70 per cent of the city’s population, could be affected by a supply interruption.

This would affect areas such as Jalan Krokop, Jalan Bulan Sabit, Pulau Melayu, Permyjaya, South Lake, Tudan Senadin, Lutong, Kuala Baram, Kuala Masjid, and Sungai Tujoh.

Other affected areas would include Kampung Beraya, Kuala Sibuti, Bukit Song, Sungai Karab, Bukit Peninjau, Beluru town area, and Sungai Seruas.

“It might not be that vast. We will know by tonight after we temporarily close the valve to check. From there we will find the cause and will update our social media, which is our communication channel,” she added. — The Borneo Post