BAYAN LEPAS SINKHOLE: IWK PIPE REPAIR WORKS NEARLY COMPLETED - EXCO

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) pipe repair works for the sinkhole in Lebuh Bukit Keci, 3 near Pantai Jerejak, Bayan Lepas here on Oct 16, is expected to be completed this week.

Penang Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said his team has been informed that repair work is still ongoing.

“Repair work is almost complete, and it (IWK) is in the final stages of the work. We expect it to be finished within this week, but we are waiting for further information from IWK," he said to reporters after the Penang Go Digital Carnival press conference at Komtar today.

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Zairil said regular monitoring is always being done, but so far no other location is at risk of a similar incident and he requested complaints to be channelled if there are any related issues.

Oct Oct 16, a 10-metre wide and three-metre deep sinkhole appear in Lebuh Bukit Kecil 3, near Pantai Jerejak, and an inspection by IWK through camera recordings inside the drainage pipe found that there was break in the pipe.

Meanwhile, Zairil said over 1,000 participants are expected to take part in the inaugural ‘Penang Go Digital Carnival’ at the PICCA Convention Centre, Butterworth on Nov 10.

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He said the organisation of the carnival is in line with the efforts to transform Penang towards creating a digitally engaged society and state, as emphasised in the Penang2030 vision.

"Between 20 to 30 booths will be opened involving support partners as well as state and federal agencies, and among the activities will be exclusive sharing sessions from industry experts, which will provide insights to business owners," he said.

“Participants will also have the opportunity to visit booths of the entrepreneurs and community who have become key partners in the success of the digital initiatives implemented by Digital Penang, and this will be alongside free digital classes offered to learn basic skills such as mobile technology and internet safety."

Zairil also said other activities expected to attract visitors are an e-sports tournament and the Virtual Reality (VR) exhibition, in addition to Digital Penang having organised more than 600 digital classes reaching over 13,000 members in the community.

He added that the digital programme implemented has also developed 200 local startups in various technology sectors, while more than 1,530 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been empowered with the latest digital tools and marketing strategies to contribute to their revenue growth.

-- BERNAMA