KUALA LUMPUR: A 15m-long obstruction is causing a backlog in the sewer near the sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India, hampering the search for Indian tourist G. Vijaya Lakshmi.
According to the team that entered the sewer, the obstructions include bottles, tyres, hair and solidified fat.
Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohammad said the blockage was 44m away from ground zero.
He said the department released two barrels from ground zero and two others from Wisma Yakin.
"The two barrels released from ground zero did not reach the Pantai Dalam Indah Water Konsortium plant," he said at the scene today.
He said from 12am today, the department worked on diverting the flow of water to reduce the water level in the pipes.
"We used high-capacity pumps capable of pumping between 10,000 and 20,000 litres of water to further reduce the water level.
"We began to see results at 4am. The water level in the pipes went down from 1.5m to 0.8m."
He said two cameras were used to gauge the water levels in the pipes.
He said efforts to clear the obstruction began about 5pm.
"We believe once the obstruction is cleared, we will be able to see the inside of the pipe clearly.
"We brought in four expert divers from the Fire and Rescue Academy to look at the possibility of diving into the sewer.
"Based on their assessment, the currents are too strong after Wisma Yakin."
Nor Hisham said the department believed the water backlog could create about 100 cubic meters of pressure.
He said the department would slowly pull out the obstructing debris.
"We will start with high-pressure jets. We will use metal rods and ropes to pull the debris."
He said to reduce the risk for the team entering the sewer, the team would be required to use rescue gear and oxygen tanks.
He said the department would monitor gas levels in the sewer in accordance with Indah Water Konsortium standard operating procedures.