TNB not to be blamed for timing of water cut and a lesson from Kluang

Today is the start of another major water supply disruption in the Klang Valley.

The stories about it are all over the place.

This is one of them,

Water supply disruption for 3.9 million can’t be avoided

If you care to read the story at that link you would noticed that the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) put the reason for the water supply disruption on maintenance work by TNB at its Bukit Badong substation in Kuala Selangor.

That, as expected, puts TNB on the firing line as consumers pour their anger over the problem in social media especially on the timing of the disruption, particularly among those celebrating Christmas as the problem was expected to persist till Christmas eve.

However, reading further down the story, we can understand the TNB's position better.

Excerpts :

TNB is aware of the grouses by consumers particularly those celebrating Christmas but said the maintenance work could not be delayed further.

It said the condition of equipment at the substation was at a critical stage where any delay would be detrimental to ensuring uninterrupted power supply.

TNB said the scheduled date for the shutdown was decided collectively at a meeting with SPAN on Oct 31, which was also attended by water sector representatives, among them, Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) and
Syarikat Pengeluaran Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash).

The shutdown was initially scheduled for Sept 27, it said.

The explanation by TNB appears quite clear.

It had wanted to do the critical maintenance work starting much earlier on Sept 27.

I'm quite sure that TNB had been told by SPAN and the others to delay it.

As stated by TNB, they only agreed for it to be done on Oct 31 upon which the current date for the works was fixed.

The TNB's statement was very careful not to say it was forced to delay the works, but my reading indicates that was what actually happened.

To put it simply, TNB doesn't want to be blamed for the timing of the problem, which SPAN seemed to have ti-chied to it.

It's anyone's guess as to why SPAN and the others had wanted TNB to delay its maintenance works in the first place.

Mine is that, I think around that time when TNB had wanted to do the work, there were too many water supply disruptions in Klang Valley due to pollution at several main water processing intake points.

That's probably why they had asked TNB to delay the whole thing.

I think SPAN should had made the whole thing clear in their earlier statement.

It's just not nice to make it as if TNB should be blamed for the timing of the water supply disruption.

On another note, the whole thing reminds me of another water supply disruption incident in early 2010.

It was around the time of the Chinese New Year celebrations and there was no water supply in my hometown Kluang.

There was an uproar with some saying SAJ, which was in charge of water supply in Johor was not being sensitive enough for causing the disruption at such an important date.

At one point, it even became a racial issue.

It however turned out that there was a severe drought at the water intake points in the district.

Sungai Mengkibol which runs across the Kluang town had turned into a longkang. The other main river of the district which is Sungai Semberong was not doing very well too.   

I have several friends in SAJ and at that time I found them working round the clock to ensure Kluang residents were supplied with water using tankers.

They worked very hard and from my observation, I dare say that there was no element of racial prejudice in the distribution of water for the people.

I hope the people of Klang Valley can be patient and learn from what happened in my hometown back then.

I'm sure the water supply disruption was unavoidable and not intended in any way to coincide with the Christmas celebrations.