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Thursday April 12, 2007

Poor design and shoddy work blamed

PUTRAJAYA: Poor design, shoddy workmanship, and bad supervision and maintenance are to blame for the burst pipe incident at the Immigration headquarters, said Putrajaya Public Works Department director Abdul Rahim Ahmad.

Damage assessment: Wahid (left) and Abdul Rahim (right) inspecting the damage to the ceiling on the fifth floor of the Immigration Department in Putra Jaya on Wednesday.
An upset Abdul Rahim said the main pipes on the seventh floor were not joined properly and the water pressure caused them to dislodge. Due to poor waterproofing, the water seeped through to the floors below.

“The joint between the pipes was not good. This is an embarrassment to the Government. This was a problem waiting to happen.

“The contractor has to repair this mess. As far as the effect on the public is concerned, this is the worst incident,” he said after inspecting the burst pipe with Immigration director-general Datuk Wahid Don yesterday.

Abdul Rahim added that the two-year warranty period for the building by the developer Putrajaya Holdings would end on May 2.

“I have seen similar shoddy workmanship at several other buildings in Putrajaya,” he said.

PJH senior manager Najmuddin Mat Daud said the developer was carrying out a probe and would have a report ready in 24 hours.

“Preliminary investigations, however, show that the pipes did not burst at the joint. It could have been manufacturing defect,” he said.

Najmuddin added that if the water supply had been closed after the incident, the damage would not have been as extensive.

Related Stories:
Leaking pipe brings Immigration HQ to a halt
PAC: What happened?

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