KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Public Works Department (JKR) will conduct a full investigation into the water overflow incident at the Sabah State Administrative Centre.
The department’s director, Datuk Philemon Lajawai, said the incident on Wednesday (April 30) was caused by a faulty float valve in the wet riser tank of the fire prevention system on the 11th floor of Block A.
“The faulty valve caused the pump system to automatically and continuously fill the tank, which led to water overflowing into the building. Delays in shutting off the pump by the facility management company worsened the situation,” he said in a statement on Thursday (May 1).
Philemon stated that more than 34,000 litres of water flooded the building in just 45 minutes, affecting 2,588 square metres of office space on the 11th to the 7th floors, as well as the lift shafts and stairwells.
He added that one staff lift was confirmed safe for use at 6pm on the same day, while the cargo lift remained operational.
Cleaning work was completed by 11.30pm yesterday.
“JKR will carry out a detailed investigation to confirm there was no element of negligence and to ensure such an incident does not recur,” he said.
Affected government departments in Block A have resumed operations as usual.
The incident went viral on Wednesday after videos showing water rushing through the stairwell and lift shafts were circulated online.
Some falsely claimed that a water tank had burst on the 33rd floor and that staff in the Chief Minister’s Office were trapped.
No injuries were reported from the incident.
