Kota Kinabalu: The State Government’s investment arm Qhazanah Sabah Bhd funded a gravity water supply project for two villages in Kundasang as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.
Karanaan UPPM Rosdi Abdul Ghani said the gravity water supply system enabled water to be collected on a hilly area that villagers called Kigiwit about 15km away and channelled through a series of tanks and water pipes to the 1,400 people.
“The funding enabled the purchase of water tanks, pipes, cement, bricks, water filters and other materials apart from site preparation works such as the clearing the path for the laying of the pipes and the areas on the hill where the tanks were to be installed,” Rosdi explained.
He said the gravity water supply system took some three months to be completed by the villagers themselves and the arduous part was for them to carry the tanks, pipes, and other materials manually up the steep slope.
The villagers had to carry bags of cement, dozens of bricks, pipes and tanks up a 70-degree slope.
“There was no other way around it. There were no roads, so everything had to be manually hauled up,” he said, showing a photo of a villager with a large tank strapped onto his back.
Ajilee a teacher said inclement weather also slowed down the work with villagers having to wait out the rainy spells.
Ajilee said the work was completed in December 2021 and for a few weeks, the villagers closely monitored for any leaks and the gravity water supply system became fully functional in January this year.
“It’s been such a relief not having to worry about our water supply,” he said, adding that the community project would be able to meet future demand with the anticipated increase in the number of households there.
It stated the project was notable as it was carried out as a communal effort or gotong-royong and the villagers feel responsible for its upkeep and maintenance.
