LABUAN: Work to replace four-decade-old water pipes with ductile iron-type ones on this duty-free island will begin in June.

The project, known as Project to Upgrade and Replace Existing Water Supply Distribution System di Sepanjang Jalan Mohd Salleh and Jalan Bebuloh from a junction at Jalan Tun Mustapha to Shell Crude Oil Terminal in Kiamsam is part of the plans to replace old pipes, especially those made of asbestos cement.

Labuan Water Division (BBAL) chief Trinil Indah Puspita said the pipe replacement work would cover Jalan Mohd Salleh, Jalan Bebuloh to Kiansam, Jalan Bukit Besar, along Jalan Bukit Timbalai, and certain areas along Jalan Sungai Pagar.

"We often hear about pipes leaking and bursting in Labuan as some pipes are 40 years old," she explained.

The transition from old to new pipes is expected to be completed by 2025.

Minister of Environment and Water Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man in his answer to Labuan Member of Parliament Datuk Rozman Isli during a Parliament session last month announced the emergency allocation amounting to RM3.32 million as a short-term solution to the frequent water leakage issue plaguing the island.

The emergency fund will be used to repair mechanical, electrical components, pipe leakages and other related works," he said.

Since the beginning of this year, more than 35 notices of water disruptions at various locations had been issued by the BBAL, affecting thousands of consumers and some were affected for two weeks at a stretch.

About 90 per cent of Labuan's water supply is via a 25.7 km submarine pipeline from the Padas River.

--BERNAMA