Ageing Langkawi seabed pipe leaks 33 million litres daily, overhaul ‘could cost billions’, Kedah state assembly told
Mohamad Yusuf said repairs are preferred for now, as a complete overhaul of Langkawi's 30-year-old seabed pipe could cost billions of ringgit. — Picture by Azneal Ishak
Wednesday, 23 Apr 2025 11:30 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Replacing the underwater pipeline that supplies treated water to Langkawi could cost billions of ringgit, making a full overhaul financially unviable for now.
Utusan Malaysia reported that Kedah Public Works, Natural Resources, Water Supply and Environment Committee chairman Mohamad Yusuf@Munir Zakaria said only repair works are being carried out at this stage due to the high cost involved.
“The 36km pipeline, which runs from the mainland to Langkawi and is nearly 30 years old, would cost billions to replace entirely.
“For now, we are allocating RM50 million — RM10 million for consultancy and RM40 million for repair works,” he was quoted as saying during the Kedah State Legislative Assembly today.
Mohamad Yusuf, who is also the Perikatan Nasional (PN) assemblyman for Kuala Nerang, was responding to a supplementary question from Teh Swee Leong, who asked for an estimate to replace the entire seabed pipeline.
The Paktan Harapan (PH) assemblyman for Kota Darul Aman had noted that repairing leaks in several sections incurred high costs each time.
Mohamad Yusuf said that since Syarikat Air Darul Aman (SADA) took over the Taliworks Langkawi concession on November 1, 2020, 42 new leaks have been repaired in-house using underwater clamp methods.
“Leak inspections are carried out every two weeks, depending on weather and sea conditions.
“The total cost of inspecting and repairing both old and new leaks is RM3.1 million,” he said.
Earlier, in response to a question from Shamsilah Siru (PN-Ayer Hangat), he said SADA is set to implement a pipeline repair project to improve the stability of Langkawi’s treated water supply.
The project is in its final procurement stage and is scheduled to begin in August, with completion targeted for February 2026.
It will involve the installation of 19 pressure steel clamps, six rubber patch stoppers and rust prevention using cathodic protection techniques.
The highest recorded leakage rate was 55 per cent — equivalent to 33 million litres per day (MLD) — compared with the 60 MLD output from the Sungai Baru Water Treatment Plant.
“Following repair works, water loss has been reduced to 27 per cent or 16 MLD,” he added.
The problem in Langkawi is similar in nature to the leak with the Penang water pipe in the Prai river bed, but much more severe due to sea water.
ReplyDeleteIn my factory operations, we have metal piping that are subject to severe corrosive chemicals, either inside or outside the pipe, sometimes both.
Left to themselves , these pipes have limited service lives, and a fracture or leak in the pipe can be disastrous due to the corrosive nature of the fluids either inside or outside the pipe.
A key method to prolong the life of the pipes is the use of sacrificial metals - metals much more reactive than steel that are connected to the pipes. That way the sacrificial metal corrodes instead of the pipe.
You replace the sacrificial metal regularly, but it is just a lump of metal instead of the pipe itself.