By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Nov 17: The long outstanding water woes in Kapit will be a thing of the past once the current Kapit Water treatment plant is upgraded over the next two years to meet current and future demand, said Assistant Minister of Water Supply Datuk Liwan Lagang.
“We have forwarded the plan to upgrade Kapit Water treatment plant to the Cabinet Special Task Force. That would also include the replacement of old water pipes,” he told DayakDaily here today.
He added that under the 2019 State Budget announced by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg on Nov 2, some RM2.8 billion had been allocated to provide treated water supply to water stressed area, which also include Kapit.
When contacted, Kapit district officer Elvis Didit hoped that the people of Kapit will understand the limitations faced by the Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB).
“While we understand and appreciate the concerns of the water users in Kapit District we also must understand the limitations faced by this new department. Having worked with them these couple of years I found the staff of JBALB to be very committed and hardworking.
He stressed that being a new department, it was only natural that JBALB had some unavoidable shortcomings besides the issue of plants and equipment.
“It is therefore imperative upon us to bear with them as they strive hard to resolve all the existing issues as soon as they possibly can,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a recent press statement the Ministry of Public Utilities revealed that the water problem faced by the people of Kapit on Nov 8 was due to the sudden increase in the water level at the Kapit Water Treatment plant due to heavy rain.
The water supply resumed normally the next day.
For public inquiries, JBALB could be reached at 016-8873015 (24 hrs) or Pejabat JBALB Kapit at 084-796041 (office hours). — DayakDaily
