By DayakDaily Team
KOTA SAMARAHAN, Sept 2: Residents affected by water supply disruptions caused by Sarawak’s prolonged dry spell have been urged to immediately report the situation to their divisional or district Disaster Management Committees to enable authorities to assess their needs and coordinate timely assistance.
Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said coordination among relevant agencies is being strengthened to ensure adequate water supply reaches affected communities, including through water tanker deliveries and the distribution of bottled drinking water by the Social Welfare Department (JKM).
She said priority would be given to areas without treated piped water supply and communities that rely on alternative sources such as rainwater harvesting systems, gravity-fed water systems and the Sarawak Alternative Water Supply System (Sawas).
“For areas without piped water supply that depend on rainwater harvesting or alternative systems, they are indeed affected when the dry spell persists.
“In some places, river water sources are also becoming increasingly scarce,” she said as reported by Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas).
She highlighted this to reporters after officiating the Women@Work Programme for the Samarahan Division at the Sarawak Farmers’ Organisation (PPNS) Hall here today.
Fatimah warned that falling river levels could affect water intake operations, resulting in reduced treatment capacity and disruptions to consumer water supply.
She stressed that affected residents should promptly lodge reports with their respective divisional or district Disaster Management Committees to facilitate immediate follow-up action.
“Water assistance can then be distributed in an organised manner based on the number of households affected and their urgent needs, ensuring sufficient aid reaches those impacted,” she said.
Meanwhile, several areas in the Sri Aman and Betong divisions have been identified as among those affected by the dry spell, particularly communities dependent on gravity-fed water supply systems.
Fatimah also expressed hope that cloud-seeding operations would help replenish water resources, especially in catchment areas that serve as critical water sources for local communities.
Also present were Samarahan Division Resident Mohamad Irwan Bahari Bujang, Sarawak Women and Family Department director Sharifah Zakiah Tuanku Pauzi, and Samarahan Malay community leader Pemanca Seli Hassan. — DayakDaily
