Water: Sebatik residents in dire straits
Published on: Thursday, March 21, 2024
Food trader Asmidar Nonton, 43, from Kampung Wallace Bay, Pulau Sebatik, said residents have been grappling with the water problem since November and the current drought has worsened the situation with water supply sources drying up. - Pic for illustration only.
TAWAU: Pulau Sebatik residents are now forced to look for groundwater besides spending hundreds of ringgit to purchase clean water since water supply was cut off about four months ago.
Food trader Asmidar Nonton, 43, from Kampung Wallace Bay, Pulau Sebatik, said residents have been grappling with the water problem since November and the current drought has worsened the situation with water supply sources drying up.
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“Our lives here in the village are critical; it’s like being in an emergency where we’re not just looking for food but also for water.
Clean water supply is no longer available in our area.
“We have resorted to looking for water sources by digging into the ground. Residents have found four water sources but three have dried up. The remaining one may dry up soon because many people need water,” he said.
He said villagers found two water sources in Kampung Hilltop and one each in Kampung Bakau and near the Pulau Sebatik water treatment plant, but only one of the two in Kampung Hilltop has yet to dry up.
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Recently, several videos and images circulated on social media showing the efforts of Pulau Sebatik residents working together to look for water sources following the disruption of clean water supply.
Pulau Sebatik straddles two countries, with the northern part of the island belonging to Indonesia and the southern part under Malaysia having 12 villages and over 20,000 people.
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Asmidar said he and his family had to buy well water for bathing and washing at RM60 per tank for a week’s usage, while 10 cartons of bottled drinking water bought in Tawau cost RM150, excluding transportation charges.
“Those who can afford it will buy water but those who cannot afford it have to dig for water. Those who cannot afford it have to carry water using bottles, large containers and walk long distances home; imagine this happening during Ramadan,” he added.
Kampung Sungai Tamang resident Marliah Lakamboi, 41, said residents were told that the Sabah State Water Department (JANS) was having difficulty bringing water supply from the mainland in Tawau after the reservoirs for clean water supply on the island dried up.
The community nurse said she and her family spent hundreds of ringgit a month to buy water for their use, such as RM60 for bathing and washing, RM80 for clean water as well as bottled drinking water priced up to RM18 per carton on the island.
She added that the operation of her workplace, the Sungai Tamang Health Clinic, was also affected by the lack of water supply and had to purchase water for the clinic’s daily operations.
“We also buy water for use in the clinic for patients and staff to maintain cleanliness for patients,” she said, adding that work uniforms washed using well water also changed colour from bluish-white to brownish yellow.
She also hoped that non-governmental organisations (NGOs), corporate companies and political parties could provide water assistance because many residents could not afford to buy water for either washing or cooking purposes.
Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Seri Shahelmey Yahya, who is also the State Minister of Works, said as a short-term measure to help the residents, tube wells are being constructed on the island and are expected to be completed by the end of this week.
“The State Government and JANS are indeed looking for ways to supply water to affected residents on the island. We are facing difficulties as it is not easy to bring water supply to the island, but we are still finding ways to help the residents there,” he said.
He said cloud seeding is one of the suggestions to improve the water supply level in the State but the process depends greatly on the suitability of the situation, especially the type of clouds formed.
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