By DayakDaily Team
SIBU, April 29: There have been three water pipe bursts since the commencement of the Jalan Ulu Sungai Merah upgrading project on April 17, which led to the water supply being cut off to some households.
Irene Mary Chang Oi Ling, Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) director of its political education bureau, said according to the complaints received from the residents, the first pipe burst occurred at SMK Ulu Sungai Merah on April 20 when the water supply was completely cut off at around 3pm and was not fully restored until 6pm the next day.
The second and third pipe bursts happened on April 27 and 28, respectively.
“This had caused a lot of inconvenience and frustration to the residents staying in the area, especially when it happened on the weekends when most families would be at home.
“While it is good that the project to widen the road has taken off and some inconvenience is to be expected during the construction period, it is totally unacceptable if all three incidents had been caused by the construction works which had started only 12 days ago,” she said in a statement today.
The former Bukit Assek assemblywoman also said that if the issue persists, the residents will face many water disruptions and other utility disruptions throughout the construction works, of which the project is expected to be completed in two years.
Chang also questioned whether there had been any proper planning and coordination between the construction team and the utility providers before and during the construction works.
“The Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing, and Local Government (MPHLG) Datuk Michael Tiang and the authorities concerned should be aware of the residents’ complaints and frustration and check into the water pipe burst incidents to make sure that they were not caused by the ongoing construction works.
“They should also check regularly with the construction teams that these incidents and other utility disruptions do not happen again as utility disruption during road construction can be disruptive and costly, causing delays, utility wastage, and inconvenience to the public,” she added. — DayakDaily
