MACHANG, Sept 6 — Water supply to about 34,000 consumer accounts in Machang, southern Kota Bharu and parts of Pasir Puteh is expected to be restored in stages from noon tomorrow following a main pipe leak in Pulai Chondong here.

Kelantan Public Works, Infrastructure, Water and Rural Development Committee chairman Datuk Dr Izani Husin said the leak in the 1,100-millimetre glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) pipe was detected on Friday, with excavation and repair works beginning on the same day.

He said the pipe, which was commissioned in 2018, had a leak measuring about 10 centimetres, while cracks affecting almost half of the pipe were also detected and believed to have been caused by erosion.

“Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB) instructed specialist contractors from Kemaman, Terengganu to carry out urgent repairs, which were initially expected to take 10 days but were completed within four days,” he told reporters after inspecting the repair works here today.

Following the disruption, he said 24 lorries and water tankers have been deployed to supply about 1.04 million litres of water a day to affected consumers, including hospitals, dialysis centres, prisons, schools, hostels, educational institutions and residential areas, with assistance from water operators in Kedah, Pahang, Johor, Penang, Selangor and Perak.

Meanwhile, AKSB head of Production Dr Mohd Hilmi P. Ramli said the company planned to replace the GRP pipe with mild steel pipes following the fourth leak since it was commissioned eight years ago.

He said that, in the initial phase, about 800 metres of the 10-kilometre pipeline would be replaced with funding from Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad, at an estimated cost of RM3 million. — Bernama