Water relief for 2,000 K Penyu folks
Published on: Sunday, June 24, 2018
Kuala Penyu: The suffering of some 2,000 people living in seven villages here without clean water is being finally addressed, following an immediate measure to send 50,000 litres of water to each village, very soon.State Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Peter Anthony said water tankers would come to supply the water that can last for two days for the villagers.He said the temporary measure is to enable the villagers to meet their daily basic water needs such as for cooking and drinking.
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"I attended a briefing by the Water Department office here today (Friday) as part of our spot check to find out the water problems and look for solutions, including attending to grouses of the villagers on their longstanding water woes."Following discussions, I noted a dire need for clean water to be supplied immediately to villagers in seven villages, namely Kg Tengilan, Kg Tongilung, Kg Sawang, Kg Mempakul, Kg Kiaru, Kg Padang Golf and Kg Tidung."Hence, I agree that 50,000 litres of water are provided to each village until a solution to their longstanding water woes is found," he told reporters after inspecting the water problems in Kiligus, near here. Peter said the villagers have been enduring water woes for between five and 10 years.
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"All this while, I noticed concerned quarters and authorities were passing the buck. There is also a high level of non-revenue water, which reaches up to 73 per cent in the district, as well as waiting for government funding to resolve the problems and political issues that arose, among others.
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"In addition, there is also the manpower problem as the water tankers here have no drivers to send water to the seven villages," he said, adding that he had directed the matter to be addressed soonest.Peter said under the new State Government, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has made a call that all infrastructure problems faced by the communities, especially in the rural and interior areas of the State, must be addressed immediately."To meet this, working papers will not be prepared to identify the cost of fulfilling such needs. In doing so, I assure that the existing procedures and regulations will be complied with," he said.On the long-term solution, Peter said they plan to build a new and suitable water treatment plant that could meet the demand for water in the district. "This will include ensuring water piping to all the villagers' houses. I believe the water woes in the district will be resolved but would take some time as various issues, including manpower, need to be looked into," he said.On the problem at the water treatment plant in Limbawang, Beaufort, Peter said he was made to understand that it was due to rubbish and solid waste flowing into the pump.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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