Wednesday June 3, 2009
Fear of falling water
By LIM CHIA YING
A POTENTIAL disaster is in the making at Cheras in Kuala Lumpur unless the authorities act fast to prevent it.
The water tank at Taman Cantik in Cheras, located high above the ground, is rusty and one side of the wall seems to have caved in.
Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai accompanied several Syabas officials on a site visit to inspect the alarming state of the tank.
“This is like a tragedy waiting to happen, because what happens if the tank finally burst or collapses?” Tan said.
According to Tan, the residents have been complaining to Syabas through many calls over the past two years but no action has been taken so far.
Alarming state: The water tank at Taman Cantik in Cheras. “This is a total disregard of public safety. In fact, just below the tank on the grassy area, an underground cavity four feet deep has formed while the soil is also giving way with half a foot width of gap between the cemented platform and the earth surface.
“The water that is continuously dripping down is also weakening the floor,” he said.
The tank is said to hold 60,000 gallons of water which is supplied to 116 units in the four Taman Cantik apartment blocks and 100 link houses in the vicinity.
The Syabas officials said they would inform their management about the matter and also submit three suggestions for the company to consider.
“The company can either replace the tank, repair it or build a variable speed pump system that totally bypasses the use of the tank, with water directly pumped from the source to all homes,” a Syabas official said.
Meanwhile, over the last two years till now, the residents have been complaining about murky, yellowish water and sometimes go without water supply a few times a week.
It is evident that after nearly 40 years since the structure was constructed, the wear and tear has taken a toll on the tank, and is in turn affecting the quality of the water.
The residents said their numerous complaints to the water concessionaire had fallen on deaf years.
Filthy: The filter on the left used by a resident shows the level of the dirty water supplied to the area. They said the tank cover was also gone, and the monkeys in the neighbourhood would play and swim in the pool of water being supplied for their daily use.
During the site visit, water could be seen dripping down from one side of the wall following the cave-in.
Resident Wong Wan Wa, 73, said he had been using water filters in his home since three years back on noticing that his tap water was slightly yellowish.
“If it is for our consumption, my family would buy bottled water. We only use the water supply for our showers and washing,” he said.
“The thought of the monkeys bathing in the tank is disturbing but there is not much choice, is there?” Wong said.
“In fact, there are times when our skin itches and we believe this is due to the water,” said Wong, who has been living in the area for the last 30 years.
Another resident, Fong Ah Moi, 50, said that she had seen the downpour of water down from the tank over the last three or four months.
“The wall is already soft and it poses great danger. What if it crashes down onto the whole neighbourhood here?” she said.
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