Headline Mapping KL`s hidden network MediaTitle The Star Date 10 Mar 2020 Color Full Color Section Metro Circulation 175,986 Page No 1TO3 Readership 527,958 Language English ArticleSize 2519 cm² Journalist BAVANIM AdValue RM 126,772 Frequency Daily PR Value RM 380,316 Frequent occurrence of sinkholes in the capital city in recent years has prompted DBKL to commission an inter-agency study with utility companies to identify the exact locations of underground pipes and cables. >2&3 Headline Mapping KL`s hidden network MediaTitle The Star Date 10 Mar 2020 Color Full Color Section Metro Circulation 175,986 Page No 1TO3 Readership 527,958 Language English ArticleSize 2519 cm² Journalist BAVANIM AdValue RM 126,772 Frequency Daily PR Value RM 380,316 Mapping KL's hidden network Mayor: Current data may be inaccurate as records not up to date By BAVANIM [email protected] WHEN a huge hole appeared on the busy intersection of Jalan Imbi and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur five years ago, causing traffic chaos in the business district, initial reports by the authorities were vague. There was lots of finger-pointing as to who or what had caused the gridlock at the major thoroughfare serving the city's bustling Golden Triangle. The reason for the 10m-deep sinkhole was eventually traced to an old underground water pipe that had burst due to earth movements from construction works nearby. Last year, three sinkholes appeared in several Kuala Lumpur roads within 48 hours, all due to soil movements caused by burst pipes, stress from construction work and heavy rain. Concerned over the spate of sinkholes, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan ordered an inter-agency study with utility companies in order to map out the numerous cables and pipes running underneath Kuala Lumpur. Ageing infrastructure Since the incident last year, Nor Hisham told StarMetro that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had man- aged to come up with a basic frame- work, but there were still a lot of data to gather as the city's reticula- tion system was over 50 years old. He said Kuala Lumpur did not have a proper underground utility mapping system. "The current data we have may not be accurate since the records could be old and no longer reliable. "For example, an old water pipe that might have been buried 1.5m about 30 years ago could now be much lower due to development and road tarring over the years. "This is not good; if we don't know what is buried underground, it can lead to problems for road users, DBKL and utility contractors too," he said. The mayor added that this would also delay construction projects, because not knowing what lied Construction work taking place near Bukit Bintang area in Kuala Lumpur. - Photos by AZHAR MAHFOF and underneath meant that contractors courtesy of Gamuda would take a longer time to com- plete work. The city has seen many of its pro- jects derailed for months, some even years, due to unforeseen infrastruc- ture buried under the city. One example is the multi-mil- lion-ringgit Bulatan Dato Onn pro- ject. Called Jejak Warisan, the beau- tification project was stalled for more than two years due to telecom- munication cables underground. Another one is the flood mitiga- tion project along Jalan Bangsar which hit a snag when contractors hit a Air Selangor pipe running underneath. The work had to be pushed back several times with DBKL claiming that the problem was beyond its control. Not many know that apart from DBKL, information on what lies beneath the ground can be sought from the Survey and Mapping Department (Jupem). Due to challenges faced during realignment work of utility facilities on road reserves in the early 1990s, the government decided to appoint Jupem to compile and manage all underground utility data in the Ho says the onus is on the utility companies or service providers to update government agencies like DBKL country. once they have laid out their cables and pipes. Following that, Jupem established Headline Mapping KL`s hidden network MediaTitle The Star Date 10 Mar 2020 Color Full Color Section Metro Circulation 175,986 Page No 1TO3 Readership 527,958 Language English ArticleSize 2519 cm² Journalist BAVANIM AdValue RM 126,772 Frequency Daily PR Value RM 380,316 A sinkhole near Malaya Mansion in Jalan Masjid India a few An excavator clearing earth beside a main road in Kuala Lumpur. years ago was believed to have been caused by pipe repair works by a utility company. - Filepic Contractors are required to scan for underground pipes and cables and relocate them before A secret escape tunnel built by the people of Mandahiling found at excavation work Bukit Nanas in Kuala Lumpur in 2015 by workers hired by DBKL to fix is carried out. a collapsed wall. — Filepic a Utility Mapping Division in 2006 which developed an underground neighbourhood that result in more utility database called Pangkalan congestion and inconvenience. Data Utiliti Bawah Tanah However, the process is not easy Kebangsaan, better known as Padu. and often beyond the control of the However, Jupem is not a regulator contractors or DBKL. but merely a repository of informa- According to Ho, before construc- tion comprising data of water and tion starts, it takes at least 18 months sewerage pipes, gas, power and to map out the underground infra- telecom cables. structure around the area to be Agencies like the Public Works developed. Department (JKR), DBKL and utility "Old urban areas are the most companies that carry out the map- challenging to work with," Ho said, ping are required to update the data adding that they faced the biggest with Jupem from time to time. challenge mapping out the Bukit Laws pertaining to these map- Bintang area when they were con- pings are governed by the Street, structing the MRT line. Drainage and Building Act 1974, There were layers of pipes and The Electricity Supply Act 1990, Gas utility cables, and the fact that it was Nor Hisham says there is still a located in an area with heavy traffic Supply Act 1993, Communications lot of data to gather as Kuala A sinkhole appeared on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim on October 21 last and Multimedia Act 1998 and the made things even more difficult. Lumpur's reticulation system is year due to a broken culvert running across under the road.-Filepic Water Services Industry Act 2006. Ho explained that before starting more than 50 years old. any physical work, construction not want to be held responsible if century while digging. companies would first engage a utili- What's underneath? something were to happen in the The tombstones were made from ty mapping company which had all metal pipes and cables. event the data that they provided is marble, granite and sandstone. According to Jupem, there are Another technology is the use of the expertise, equipment and tech- found to be inaccurate," he said, The site was formerly a Muslim nology to carry out the job. thousands of pipes, cables and con- Mobile GPR for quick and efficient adding that most of the time the data duits transporting water, sewage, cemetery dating back almost 200 Once the company completes the data gathering under restrictions. was only 60% to 70% accurate. years, and the workers were at a electrons and gas through pipes and Jupem said there were discrepan- mapping of a site, they will verify cables under the city's pavements. loss as to what to do. Ultimately, the the information with service provid- cies in some of the data it received RoL conservators were brought it to The bulk of them are pipes that from third parties; and that at times Surprises unearthed ers such as TNB and Telekom belong to Air Selangor and Indah deal with the matter. Malaysia," he said. additional detection and survey of Often in the absence of reliable With all these unforeseen discov- Water Konsortium, telco cables as underground utilities had to be per- This information will be reflected data, contractors who are not famil- eries, there is indeed the need for an in the drawings which will be used well as a small number of gas pipes. formed to upgrade the accuracy of iar with Kuala Lumpur's history are Jupem said each cable was buried agency to act as a regulatory body to by the consultants to work out a the data it had. presented with surprises like what oversee and work side by side with at different levels; for instance the MMC-Gamuda Mechanical and was discovered in 2015 by a group design to relocate the utilities from fibre optic cables from telecommu- the local authorities and service pro- the construction site. Engineering department senior hired by DBKL to fix a collapsed viders. nication companies were buried manager Ho Jit Poe said the onus wall. The relocation design will then be "It is about time we had one; a shared with the service providers. between 0.2 to 0.5m while the sewer was also on the utility companies or The contractors discovered a laby- pipes were usually 2m deep. one-stop centre that anyone can go Most service providers will service providers to update govern- rinth of tunnels believed to be centu- to for updated data. So when disas- In some areas, cables are buried ment agencies such as DBKL once engage their own panel of contrac- ries-old stretching from Bukit Nanas ter strikes, the authorities know tors to do the job. 10m underground using the hori- they had laid out their cables.