PETALING JAYA: The next time a water pipe bursts in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur or Putrajaya, it may not be repaired. 

This is because Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) is running out of pipes for repair works and a legal battle it is currently embroiled in has led to an injunction that restrains it from purchasing pipes of all types and sizes. Syabas uses pipes ranging in diameter from 150mm to 2.2m. 

Syabas executive chairman Tan Sri Rozali Ismail said in a statement that the concessionaire was running short of pipes required to repair burst or leaking pipes due to the injunction granted by the High Court to JAKS-KDEB Consortium Sdn Bhd. 

The injunction, he said, restrained Syabas and its related parties from purchasing, obtaining, dealing, negotiating and receiving its requirements for pipes and fittings in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. 

“Syabas cannot take any swift action to carry out repair and maintenance works due to these reasons but it has applied to set aside the ex-parte injunction obtained by JAKS-KDEB Consortium so that it can continue the repair work for water-related problems,” he said. 

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE: Water gushing from a broken pipe at Taman Melawati in Kuala Lumpur since Friday. More than 3,000 homes are affected.

He said the application to set aside the injunction was originally fixed for hearing on Nov 17 but was postponed to tomorrow at the request of JAKS-KDEB Consortium although Syabas’ solicitors objected to the postponement due to the diminishing supply of pipes in Syabas’ stores.  

The statement was sent to the press in response to queries about numerous water supply disruptions due to burst and leaking pipes in various parts of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya over the last few days. Syabas supplies water to more than seven million consumers.  

Lau Eng Shinn of Taman Melawati, where 3,000 households have been affected by a burst pipe, said he had a shock when a staff member manning the Syabas Gombak District hotline told him that they could not conduct repairs as they were unable to buy new pipes.  

“Water supply to my house has been disrupted since Friday,” he said.  

It is understood that residents in several other areas are facing the same problem. 

The dispute 

JAKS-KDEB Consortium, a subsidiary of JAKS Resources Bhd, had an exclusive 10-year concession from 2001 to supply pipes and fittings to Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor (Puas), which was then Selangor state government's water distribution arm before it was taken over by Syabas in a privatisation exercise. 

However, upon taking over Puas’ operations, Syabas decided to award the contract to another company and this led to the breach of supply contract lawsuit by JAKS-KDEB Consortium and the injunction preventing Syabas from buying pipes from any other company. 

Hotline  

Syabas has advised consumers facing water supply problems to continue to call the 24-hour PUSPEL toll-free line at 1-800-88-5252 or type PUSPEL and send an SMS to 39222.