By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Jan 3: Beladin has been suffering from serious dry tap problem since Dec 30 until today and frustrated residents are urging for a solution to the water problem.
A resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, told DayakDaily that the residents of Beladin has been suffering in silence and frustration is building up because for this time, there was not even a water tanker on sight.
“Since Dec 30, there has been no treated water coming in. All taps are dry. We have been depending on the water tanks in our houses.
“Due to heavy reliance, the water tanks in our houses are also drying up and what is coming out of the our in-built water tanks are now dirty black water,” said the resident who moved there five years ago.
Since moving to Beladin, she said that shortage of water has been part of life in which at least five times in a year, the whole area would suffer from totally dry tap or shortage of water.
“Every time when that happens, there are still water tankers sending us water. It is still bearable. But this time, there is not even a water tanker in sight.”
She said she had to travel to nearby town to transport water for her own usage.
“I was told water problem has long been existing in Beladin, which is the biggest Malay village in Sarawak. I was being informed that there are more than 10,000 residents in Beladin.
“Not only that we have to constantly suffer from water shortage, in September and October last year, the treated water from the tap was salty. We were told that it was due to saltwater intrusion.”
The resident hoped something can be done fast to remedy the whole situation.
“There is a secondary school in the affected area – SMK Beladin. Where there is a school and no water at all, you can imagine how horrible it is in the school where there are more than 100 boarders,” she said.
