Main Cable Fire Forces Depok Water Utility to Deploy 20 Water Tank Trucks
The main power cable at the Citayam Water Treatment Plant (IPA), owned by PT PDAM Tirta Asasta Kota Depok, caught fire on Tuesday (1/9) night. The incident paralysed pump operations and triggered a total cessation of clean water flow to around 50,000 customers across 11 districts.
The President Director of PDAM Tirta Asasta Kota Depok, M Olik Abdul Holik, confirmed that there were no casualties or injuries resulting from the incident.
The burning of this vital component had an immediate and significant impact on the electricity supply for the water supply machinery. “The burning of the main power cable at the PDAM treatment plant caused the clean water supply pumps to lose power and cease operations entirely,” said Olik on Wednesday (2/9).
In response to the crisis, the PDAM Tirta Asasta technical team immediately moved to carry out emergency repairs at the scene.
“We have deployed a technical team to replace the damaged power cables to reactivate the main pumps. Operations have returned to normal,” he explained.
Although the main pumps have resumed operation, repairing and restoring water pressure is a gradual process. As long as the supply is not yet fully optimised, PDAM has mobilised emergency assistance in the form of dozens of clean water tank fleets.
“Since the fire, PDAM Kota Depok has been deploying 2_0 clean water tankers, each with a capacity of approximately 6,000 litres, to assist affected residents. Assistance is being distributed across 11 districts, including Beji, Pancoran Mas, Sukmajaya, Sawangan, Limo, Cinere, Cipayung, Cilodong, Cimanggis, Tapos, and Bojongsari,” he said.
Residents whose areas are still experiencing supply issues are advised to immediately use the official complaint channels.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of PDAM Tirta Asasta Kota Depok, Hariadi, explained that the primary cause of the fire was the degradation of the electrical network material due to old age. “The aged cables experienced a decline in insulation quality, making them highly vulnerable to overheating and electrical short circuits,” he said.
Hariadi added that the main cable infrastructure at the Citayam plant had been installed even before the City of Depok became an independent municipality, separate from Bogor Regency, in 1999.
“The degradation of the cable insulation layer due to age and continuous electrical load caused the main production and distribution pumps to shut down completely, resulting in the stoppage of water flow to thousands of customers,” he concluded.