MORE PICS – COURT Complex 1st Leak Flooding Canteen - Angle Deep Water; Another Shoddy work Example – UPVC End Cap was used instead of ABS class 15

According to NST, the ACA has initiated investigations into the contractor and the sub-con plumber. More details when available.
May 24, 2007 15:22 PM

Flooding In Jalan Duta Court Complex - Contractor To Explain

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 Mei (Bernama) -- Upset and disappointed with yet another calamity at the brand-new Jalan Duta court complex yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz wants the contractor, Johawaki Sdn Bhd, to explain the situation as soon as Monday. "I'm going to get the contractor to explain this...we are the owner of the buiding...the fund (to build the complex) comes from our department...we have the right to know what happened," he told reporters at Parliament House here today.

Mohamed Nazri, who holds the law portfolio, claimed that the contractor had used a sub-standard material, which would be another issue to be explained."This is shoddy work," he said. The court had appointed a consultant company (Kemuncak Facility) to look at all the defects at the complex and would come up with a full report, he said. The court complex, touted as the world's second-largest court complex, began operations on May 3 and is still under warranty for defects which will and expire in February next year. Mohamed Nazri said that since it was still under warrantly, the contractor might have to bear the cost of the repair.

He said that so far, the government had only made 80 per cent of the payment for the RM270 million complex. Early yesterday, a faulty pipe burst and caused water to gush out from a service room at the basement cafeteria, resulting in the floor being covered in 7cm of water. The incident was the latest mishap to have hit the complex after two ceiling panels collapsed together with some light fittings on April 30 and cracks appeared outside Magistrate's Court 4 a week later.
= = == = == = == == = == = =

This burst pipe is yet another example of shoddy work. When there is a shortage of a part, another one of similar nature “can do”. The faulty part is made of UPVC (poly vinyl chloride) and is used on an ABS class 15 (the black ones). Of course the sub-contractor forced it on and possibly uses addition glue but it would not last long. And when subjected to constant pressure, eventually broke loose and the resulting leak.

It would be a good practice now in all the new buildings, the staff be informed of ALL the isolating valves in a building just in case of a leak; the source of water can be isolated fast enough to prevent more damage.
The replacement of this faulty cap illustrates the Malaysia Boleh culture - to do a simple job required 4 people. One to carry the pipe, another to carry the tin of glue, third to carry the tools and the last one to fix a simple job.

ABOVE & BELOW: The new Court Complex in Jalan Duta was opened for business on May 08 07

May 23, 2007 19:14 PM

Leaked Pipe Causes Flood At Court Complex

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Bernama) -- Less than a month since the Court Complex in Jalan Duta started operations, during which it had faced various problems such as collapsed ceiling, cracks and power disruption, it again drew the limelight today when a leaked pipe flooded the cafeteria on the ground floor.

ABOVE & BELOW: At 10.30 am, cleaners were busy mopping dry the floor of the canteen

Water seeped out to the dining area from the service room, where the water level was ankle deep, flooding about 90 percent of the cafeteria which can take 450 people at any one time, forcing those who were eating to move to a dry area. A check by Bernama revealed that members of the public, lawyers and court staff had to stand while consuming their food or drinks as the chairs and tables had been moved out. It was learnt that after the water had seeped out, an explosion was heard from the service room, believed to be due to a pipe head coming off. "The incident began about 9 am. I called two building cleaners to clean the area," said Siti Fatimah Nor Abdul Aziz, 26, a stall worker in the cafeteria. She said water suddenly flowed out of the service room, located next to the women's toilet, to the cafeteria causing people to move away from the area. "I came to know that the water came from a leaked pipe," said Siti Fatimah Nor who helps her sister-in-law who operates one of the food stalls in the cafeteria. A lawyer, Muhammad Ariff Arshad said he noticed that water was flowing out of the service room which resulted in the chairs and tables being moved, and customers having to move out of the dining area. "What is regretful and frustrating is that it had not even been a month (since the Court Complex became operational) and a flood has occurred at the canteen, a place where we come for food and drinks. This is as though, they (judiciary) were given a fake product, or product without quality," said lawyer M. Manoharan. There was also a commotion when one of the security guards at the complex made rude remarks when trying to prevent media photographers from taking pictures of the situation. It said the leak was brought under control about 9.40 am after the end cap was replaced with the end cap of the same material as the tee joint of ABS Class 13 material. The statement also said that the leakage did not cause any damage to other building compound and operation at the cafetaria returned to normal at noon.

= == = = ==
Thursday May 24, 2007

Court complex hit by calamity again

KUALA LUMPUR: Yet another calamity hit the brand-new Jalan Duta court complex yesterday when a faulty pipe burst, causing the cafeteria floor to be flooded. At about 9.15am yesterday, a burst pipe end cap caused water to gush out from a service room at the basement cafeteria, resulting in much of the floor being covered in 7cm of water.

The incident was the latest in a series of major incidents in less than a month to hit the RM290mil complex, touted as the world's second-largest court complex.

ABOVE: Public Works Department (PWD) director-general Datuk Dr Judin Abdul Karim arriving and BELOW: refused to give further comments, apart from the written statement

Public Works Department (PWD) director-general Datuk Dr Judin Abdul Karim said the incident was caused by a pipe end cap at a T-joint. “The end cap was made of UPVC material which is different from the T- joint which was made from ABS class 15. The end cap has been replaced with an ABS elbow class 15 as per the original specification,” he said in a written statement. Dr Judin, who arrived at the scene at noon, refused to speak to the press and tried hard to stay away from reporters.

His statement was read out by PWD deputy director-general III N. Selvanayagam (ABOVE). The statement said contractors were despatched to the affected area at 9.30am and the leak was brought under control by 9.40am. The situation in the cafeteria returned to normal by noon after the cleaning process was completed. Dr Judin said the PWD would report the main contractor to the Construction Industry Development Board. He added that the plumber would also not be spared. When reporters managed to get to him, Dr Judin refused to comment further and only confirmed that checks were being conducted on the whole building. Acting Chief Registrar of the Federal Court Ahmad Terriruddin Mohd Salleh, who rushed from Putrajaya upon being informed about the incident, also refused to comment. “We will leave it to the Public Works Department to handle,” he said. The nightmare for the new court complex began on April 30, just before the official opening on May 3, when two ceiling panels collapsed together with some lights. Less than a week after that, cracks measuring at least 3m long began appearing outside Magistrate's Court 4. A check by The Star yesterday revealed that the cracks have since been patched up. On May 7, the air-conditioning in one of the High Courts malfunctioned, while on May 9 the entire complex experienced a blackout, resulting in several cases being postponed.

ABOVE & BELOW: Malaysian work culture to do a simple job required 4 people. One to carry the pipe, another to carry the tin of glue, third to carry the tools and the last one to fix a simple job. - Malaysia Boleh!

and where in the hell is Samy Vellu? Apparently he was grieving and mourning as his younger brother 68 had just past away on the day of the first leak.

= = == = = == = and some advice from PM Abdullah (all the way from Japan)

Stop The 'Finger-pointing' – Abdullah; From Leslean Arshad

TOKYO, May 22 (Bernama) -- The Public Works Department (PWD) is responsible for maintenance of government buildings and there should be no "finger-pointing" whenever a defect occurs, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today. The Prime Minister said he had told Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu that matters pertaining to maintenance of government buildings was under the PWD's jurisdiction and accusations as to who was responsible must stop as it would only lead to embarrassment. Instead, he wanted the authorities responsible to carry out the entrusted tasks, he said.

"I've told Samy Vellu that the PWD was responsible for matters related to maintenance, don't quarrel among yourselves, it's embarrassing. "It's alright if you want to talk it over and carry out the repairs jointly ...what's the point of quarrelling with each other to the extent of the people knowing. If there's something wrong, talk to each other, cooperate and do it quietly...what's the point of quarrelling in the newspapers, one says they're responsible, the other says it's your problem," he said when commenting on the issue of maintaining government buildings and the leaking roof in Parliament. "Already people are unhappy with what has happened, who is to take responsibility and who is responsible have also become a public issue, two agencies quarrelling...this is not good," he said.

Abdullah said the authorities concerned must have the sense of responsibility to do what they are supposed to do. "Whoever is responsible must have the sense of responsibility to make sure what it was responsible to do. It takes action, it carries out its responsibility," he said. He said the scope of duties and responsibilities have been clearly spelled out and they should not wait to be told on what to do. "For example, if you've been appointed as a cook... why waits before starting to cook," he said. Abdullah said that allotting adequate allocations for maintenance was not a waste or a burden as it was a money-saving measure as more money would have to be spent if a building was damaged or defective.

"Maybe the building needs to be replaced with a new one. So the expenses incurred will be more than the allocations set aside for maintenance," he said. Abdullah said he was impressed with the maintenance culture of the Japanese people who are known for their efficient maintenance practices, cleanliness, public courtesy and high civic-consciousness. He believed that the 14,000 Malaysians, who have studied in Japan, would have been "influenced" to emulate the noble cultures of the Japanese in their daily lives. The prime minister also marvelled at the creativity of the Japanese who could commercialise materials that were often discarded in Malaysia.