Old water pipes to be replaced in three sections of PJ from this week

Ductile iron water pipes will be installed in Sections 12, 16 and 17 of Petaling Jaya. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

WORK to replace ageing water pipes with ductile iron type ones in Section 12, 16 and 17 in Petaling Jaya will begin this week.

The project will start concurrently at a 0.5km stretch along Jalan 12/16A and 1.2km of Jalan Tuanku Salahuddin Syah 16/9, while work along a 1.2km stretch from Jalan 17/1 to Jalan 17/22 is expected to begin in November.

The project, known as Package 38 of Air Selangor’s Old Pipe Replacement Programme, is part of the plan to replace old pipes, especially those made of asbestos cement.

MBPJ Zone 10 (Section 16 and Section 17) councillor Medaline Chang, in a press briefing, said that the pipe replacement started in 2016 and Package 38 would cover areas in Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya.

“We often hear about pipes leaking and bursting in Petaling Jaya, as some are 60 years old,” she explained.

The transition from old to new pipes is expected to be completed by July next year.

Bukit Gasing assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran said many of the old pipes had a lifespan of about 25 years only.

The new ductile iron type will not only be larger in diameter but will also have a longer service life of between 50 and 100 years.

“Most of the pipes in Section 5 and Section 17 were replaced earlier, followed by Section 1 and 2,” said Rajiv.

He added that Package 38 of the pipe replacement programme would cover most of the burst pipe hotspots in the Bukit Gasing constituency, which would lead to the reduction of such incidents, including leakage and wasted water.

Rajiv added that notices would be given to affected residents five days before contractors carry out the works.

“Work will start in the morning. The target is to have the dug up holes patched up by evening.

“The aim is not to have any holes left exposed overnight,” he said, adding that residents and road users would not have to put up with ongoing work for weeks on end.

“While the new pipes are being installed, the old ones will continue running and there will not be any interruption to water supply.

“Water disruption will be minimal and only when supply switches over from the old pipes.”

Air Selangor Planning and Capital Works Department assistant vice-president II Haslina Mohd Yahya said once the pressure tests on the new pipes were completed, the transition would take about six hours before water supply is fully restored.

“Throughout the period, the roads will be temporarily repaired. Once the upgrade is completed, all stretches will be resurfaced from kerb to kerb,” she assured.