SIBU: Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) Chairman Clarence Ting Ing Horh has urged residents to install water tanks in their homes following recent water supply disruptions in the town.
The call comes after a 750mm-diameter mild steel main pipe leak in front of the Foochow Association building at Jalan Salim, which led to a prolonged water outage.
The repair work, initially expected to take nine hours, stretched beyond 24 hours, sparking concerns among residents.
“I hope all residents in Sibu take notice. All houses and shophouses are required to install water tanks, but many have treated this requirement as optional.
“I hope that after yesterday’s experience, you will reconsider installing a water tank,” he said in a Facebook post today (Mar 2).
Ting also pointed out that the Salim Foochow Association area has long faced recurring water supply issues due to its piping system design.
“We know this problem will persist unless drastic changes are made to the piping system’s design,” he said.
Ting stressed that while the Sibu Water Board (SWB) worked hard to repair the pipes, the task was challenging as the trench was more than 10 feet deep.
“There were Sesco cables overhead, and Telekom cables were severed during excavation,” he added.
Repair works started at 10pm on Friday, but SWB later announced an eight-hour delay due to utility cable damage.
In an update at 12.30am today, SWB reported that welding progress had reached 100 per cent.
Previously, the Sarawak government has announced a five-year plan involving 461 pipeline replacement and upgrading projects across the state, managed by several key agencies.
Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi said that these projects include a RM170 million allocation for SWB.
“The rusted and unusable pipes have led to significant water leakage issues, prompting the government to take the initiative to replace and upgrade them in selected areas,” he said.
