KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) is ready to deal with any damage to water supply infrastructure due to floods to ensure water supply to consumers will not be affected.
SPAN regional operations division director Azrul Raimee Ramli said this was done by implementing mitigation measures based on the preparedness plan provided by the water supply operators, which contains actions for the phases before, during, and after floods.
“One of the actions to be taken before floods occur is to raise the position of pump houses in residential areas which have been identified as being at high risk of flooding based on data obtained from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID).
“We have asked the operators to activate the flood impact monitoring room so that when floods occur, the mitigation plan will be implemented. For example, if the water supply plant in District A cannot operate due to floods, the nearest plant in District B will support and distribute water supply to the affected areas in District A,” he said.
Azrul was speaking as a guest on Bernama TV’s programme Malaysia Petang Ini, titled ‘Banjir: Kesiapsiagaan Operator Perkhidmatan Air’ (Flood: Preparedness of Water Service Operators) today.
As for the post-flood phase, the operators will survey the water supply assets, including the pump houses or water treatment plants, which were destroyed or damaged due to floods and implement repair works to ensure operations can resume.
He said SPAN will ensure water supply operators in the respective areas update their preparedness plans regularly based on the varying degrees of flood situations every year.
“We must record whatever happened the year before so that we have a plan (including) upgrading the area and maintaining the assets regularly to ensure they are in working order,” Azrul said.
— Bernama
