IPOH, April 3 — A total of 85 schools in the Manjung district have been closed and requested today to be marked as ‘cuti ganti’ (replacement holiday), due to the water supply disruption which has hit the district since Friday.
State Education, Higher Education, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Khairudin Abu Hanipah said that the water supply disruption affected 85 schools, in six areas in the district.
“There are 34 schools involved in Ayer Tawar alone, followed by Sitiawan (19), Seri Manjung (18), Lekir and Kayan (5), Pangkor (5) and Lumut (4).
“The decision to close 85 schools today is for the welfare and health of students and educators, through application for ‘cuti ganti’ (replacement leave), with the approval of the registrar of the Perak Education Department (JPN),” he said at a press conference after the Ramadan Iftar and Tarawih programme, hosted by the Perak Sports Council, here today.
A total of 79,360 user accounts in the Manjung and Perak Tengah districts have experienced unscheduled water supply disruption due to burst pipe at the Teluk Kepayang Water Treatment Plant (LRA) intake point since Friday.
Earlier, the state Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Public Transport Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin said repair work is currently being carried out by the contractor, and water supply is expected to be fully restored before April 8.
Meanwhile, Khairudin said that the Perak Education Department is very concerned about the water supply disruption, which would make the daily affairs of students and school staff difficult. — Bernama
