When pumps fail
One does not need a degree in rocket science to understand why there is a need for maintenance.
These days the only beneficiaries of the quality of water are the makers and distributors of water filters. The quality of water leaves much to be desired and tying a piece of cloth to the mouth of the tap will attest to this.
R. Nadeswaran
, The Sun
SOME members of the Thomas Cup winning team of 1967 referred to him as the “tormentor”. That’s because he was their fitness coach and he spared no one.
Those in sports circles knew him as a double international having played soccer and hockey for Malaya. Those in the football fraternity knew him as “Uncle Nada”, but T. Nadarajah worked with the Selangor Waterworks Department in Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, where everyone saw the other side of him.
Every year, he used to organise a walk for waterworks employees and in the mid-seventies, I was assigned to cover the event. They all came – the sweepers, plumbers, technicians and engineers. Food was prepared in the compound of the department and for a good measure, beer and toddy flowed.
And for prizes, Uncle Nada gave away fruits, vegetables and the main prize was a rattan cage containing five chickens. He said something along the lines that medals and cups are useless to the workers. He would rather give them something which could end up on the dinner table.
And one of the most telling remarks he made was: “They can be plumbers and labourers, but it is their hard work that keeps water flowing through your taps. Round-the-clock, they ensure that everything is working.” It was an era when bottled water – mineral, distilled, purified, etc – was never heard of. If you were thirsty, you just turned on the tap, clasped your hands and drank the water direct from the source – without any worry or hassle.
These days the only beneficiaries of the quality of water are the makers and distributors of water filters. The quality of water leaves much to be desired and tying a piece of cloth to the mouth of the tap will attest to this.
I will not delve into the politics of water but raise some pertinent, common sense questions that have to be addressed. I have no intention of going into the contractual disputes between the Selangor government and the concessionaires.
Let it be reiterated that privatisation was supposed to enhance quality and service, not to be detrimental to the people. Raw water and processed water are two different things. The problem is the processing of water and it has nothing to do with new dams. From what I have read, the water crisis has nothing to do with privatisation or new treatment plants. It has everything to do with failure of mechanical equipment to pump the water. Was it changed or did it disappear with privatisation?
One does not need a degree in rocket science to understand why there is a need for maintenance. Like aircraft and printing presses, water pumps can last a lifetime with regular maintenance and replacement of parts as recommended by the suppliers or until they become obsolete because of innovations.
So, the questions that should be answered are:
>Is there a maintenance schedule in place?
>Has something gone awry with the maintenance schedule which has caused the pumps to fail?
>Are sufficient spares being kept so that worn out or damaged parts can be repaired or replaced?
>How could four pumps fail at the same time?
>Why is it taking a long time to get the pumps repaired? Is it because we do not have the expertise, the tools or the spares?
>In this context, why has our quality of water dropped significantly?
We seem to espouse the “First World infrastructure, Third World mentality” at every turn. The public needs answers and the concessionaires must take cognisance that ordinary folk should not be pawns in trying to hammer through an unfair deal.
R. Nadeswaran is editor (special and investigative reporting) at theSun. Comments: [email protected]