Schools forced to rely on rainwater: Water Department told to explain Sipitang woe
Published on: Wednesday, September 04, 2024
By: Ahmad Apong
The man said they had to rely on bottled water every time the taps went dry, which is unsustainable while gathering rainwater is an inconvenience. - FMT pic for illustration only.
SIPITANG: The Sabah Water Department is asked to explain why the district is facing regular water disruptions with no resolve.
A consumer said folks in Padang Berempah have been relying on water rationing since early this year and this is affecting especially school children.
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Padang Berempah’s national and middle schools have resorted to storing rainwater to supply students’ needs for the past few months.
“There has been no running water for three days now in Kampung Pantai and Kampung Pelakat. What has happened? How can we feel exclaim independence when even basic needs are often disrupted.
“The Water Department should be aware of this recurring issue and find a solution. If it is due to the Pan Borneo Highway project, they need to warn the contractor involved.
“Don’t bother giving the repeated excuse that the treatment plant is under cleaning. It’s impossible because every time the water supply will be cut off or stopped.
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“Apart from students, what about people who are unable to bathe, cook, drink and wash their clothes? More so for mothers who have just given birth, where would they source water?” he said.
The man said they had to rely on bottled water every time the taps went dry, which is unsustainable while gathering rainwater is an inconvenience.
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“How can mothers who have just given birth take a shower using rainwater, especially a new-born,” he said with an angry tone.
He said the supply of stored water in the tank was running out and they had to buy bottled water from the store to use for bathing, eating and drinking and to bathe the new-born.
“For the well-to-do, it may be easy for them to get water supply with their storage stock using tanks. But even that is running out, what more when compared to the B40 group who only can store water in smaller tanks,” he said.
He hoped the Water Department would supply them water via trucks and fix the problem once and for all quickly.
“The country has been independent for 67 years, but water is somehow getting harder to obtain, yet if the residents are slow to pay for the water, the enforcement will come running to cut off supply,” he lamented.
Former Sindumin UPPM Abd Sani Miasin said the problem, if left as it is, will have a negative impact on the current State Government.
“Therefore, it is appropriate they repair all the water pipelines to this district and ensure none of them is faulty, or some other excuse like cleaning up the treatment plant for the hundredth time.
“We are also appealing to Sindumin Assemblyman cum Qhazanah Berhad Chairman Datuk Dr Yusoff Yaacob and Sipitang MP cum Malaysian Cocoa Board of Directors Chairman Datuk Matbali Musah to “turun padang” and ensure that the water supply in this district is always running well,” he said.
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