GEORGE TOWN: Consumers in several parts of Penang are facing a delay in full resumption of water supply as repairs on the burst pipe in the Prai River are not complete.
Those who have begun to receive supply are advised to store water as pumping operations will be shut down at 8pm on Thursday (Dec 21) to facilitate "Plan B" repairs.
Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said although the welding operation on the pipe was completed, a leak was still detected.
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"At 11.40am on Thursday, PBAPP started pumping treated water through the 1,350mm pipeline.
"However, a leak was detected with water gushing from the surface of the river," he said in a statement.
He said despite the leakage and loss of water, PBAPP continued to pump treated water to areas in the South-West District.
He said consumers should continue to receive some water supply until 8pm, albeit at lower pressure.
He called on consumers to fill water tanks and containers before 8pm while they still have water supply.
ALSO READ: Several areas in Penang face water cut after pipe bursts at Prai River
Following detection of the new leak, he said PBAPP would implement its "Plan B" option which involves clamping a steel plate to the affected section.
He said the plate and clamp option will be sufficiently robust to withstand the high pressure inside the pump.
"There may be still some minimal leakage... however, this is the most rational engineering solution in terms of response time and potential result," he said.
He said the clamp-fitting work is scheduled to begin at 8.30pm after the pipeline is shut down at 8pm.
"Emergency assistance of more than 10 water tankers will be deployed to deliver water to the end of the distribution pipe network and higher-ground areas this evening," he said, adding that PBAPP will update the tanker schedule on Facebook.
The water supply disruption is set for Penang island’s southwest district from 8pm on Thursday to 8am on Friday (Dec 22).
