Water: No show of anger by Sepanggar folks
Published on: Tuesday, March 28, 2023
By: Jonathan Nicholas
A zakat collector sits in front of a still SWD office on the ground floor of Wima Muis.
Kota Kinabalu: The anticipated show of anger by Sepanggar folks over water supply at the Sabah Water Department (SWD) headquarters in Wisma Muis, here, on Monday did not materialise.A flyer that began circulating on social media last week had invited Sepanggar residents to riot there in a bid to grab the attention of the State Government.ADVERTISEMENT
A check at the location before the supposed 10am assembly saw no angry mob.
Earlier, City Police Chief ACP Mohd Zaidi Abdullah warned against unlawful assemblies, saying action would be taken. He said no permit applications were received.
Sepanggar Member of Parliament Mustapha Sakmud urged the residents to raise water issues by following the correct channel.
“I suggest that those who want to stage a demonstration negotiate properly with SWD and listen to the briefing on the water issue in their respective areas,” he saidADVERTISEMENT
Mustapha also reiterated his call to SWD to take drastic action in dealing with the water crisis that has gone on for a long time in his constituency.
He said the Telibong Dua Water Treatment Plant project in Tuaran needs to be completed immediately.
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“This is no longer a typical water supply issue but a crisis. More than 300,000 Sepanggar residents depend on the effectiveness of SWD to solve this problem.
“The Federal Government had stated its preparedness to help the State Government solve the infrastructure and water issues in the State, especially in terms of providing allocation,” he said in a statement, Monday.
Meanwhile, Mustapha said they are waiting for a call for a meeting from City Hall (DBKK) to find the best way to resolve the issue of squatters in the Sepanggar area, which was also linked to previous water theft activities.
“A new mechanism needs to be found and studied to resolve the issue of squatters in the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency by taking into account the humanitarian aspect without neglecting the interests of the people of Sepanggar in general,” he said.
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