Maintaining private water systems is responsibility of owners

The PUB would like to respond to comments the chairman of the management council of Nicon Gardens, Mr M. J. Pillai, made (Condo fined $2,000 for not repairing pipe that leaked enough water to fill 1½ Olympic-size pools; July 22).

The law clearly states that the responsibility for the maintenance of water-service installations within private premises lies with the owner.

That being the case, Nicon Gardens' management was legally required to promptly engage a licensed plumber and, without delay, repair the service pipe that had sprung a leak.

But, out of goodwill, PUB helped the condominium locate the leak and provided a list of licensed plumbers to expedite the repair works.

We also deployed our water wagon during the works so that the water supply of the residents would not be disrupted while the leak was being fixed.

The condominium management, however, only initiated rectification works four days after the leak was first reported.

There was no strong reason for the delay, more so with the prompt assistance the PUB provided.

Also, the works were straightforward. The repair was fixed within a few hours by the licensed plumber.

PUB's subsequent investigations also revealed that although the plumber had indicated that he was able to carry out repairs over the weekend, the condominium management insisted that works start only on Monday.

This undue delay resulted in significant and unacceptable water wastage.

From the onset, PUB had made it clear to the management of its responsibility to rectify the leak in the condominium.

However, the management failed to comply, compelling PUB to take enforcement action.

Ridzuan Ismail
Director
Water Supply (Network) Department, PUB

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