Its deputy minister, Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, said Pengurusan Air Pahang Berhad (PAIP) must clarify the matter because the act of turning off water supply for fire hydrants was unreasonable as fires can break out anytime.

“If the water supply needs to be stopped at a certain time for a reason, then the authorities should look for alternatives to ensure that hydrants are working all the time.

“What can be done is to build different waterways for residential areas, or if not, maybe a static tank should be built for firefighting purposes,” he told reporters after visiting fire victims temporarily housed at SJK (C) Sungai Lembing here today.

On Aug 31, a fire razed 32 buildings and claimed the lives of an elderly couple.

Twenty two-storey shophouses, 11 terrace houses and a library, all believed to be about 100 years old, were burnt down

Tengku Zulpuri handed over a personal contribution of RM10,000 to the victims.