TPJ sends team to Bengkulu

JAKARTA (JP): British tap water company Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) is sending a technical team to help Bengkulu earthquake victims by supplying fresh water and repairing damaged water pipes, a company official announced on Tuesday.

"We're sending a 16-member team including an expert on water leaks. They will be there for two weeks to repair the damaged pipes," company communication director Rhamses Simanjuntak said.

"The team will use a device, called a 'leak noise correlator', to locate any leaks in the water pipes. They will then replace the broken pipes," he added.

"We'll provide 20 water tanks each with a capacity of 1,000 liters to be used by the victims," he said.

Team leader Glenn Hutchinson, a water leakage expert, told The Jakarta Post that the team did a survey in Bengkulu last week to assess the damage and required repairs.

"The survey team found more than 10,000 residents living without a fresh water supply there. We expect to restore the supply as soon as possible," Glenn said, without giving an estimate of the number of pipes to be replaced.

"I believe we have to make hundreds of repairs and replacements to recover the fresh water supply," he added. (nvn)