KUCHING, July 20: The state government ought to build a water treatment plant either at Bukit Garu or Bukit Nerachi water catchment areas to solve the perennial water crisis in Balai Ringin.
Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) president Cobbold John Lusoi claimed that many villages in Simunjan and Pantu were in desperate need of clean, treated water.
In addition, the locals had also discovered that many rivers and water catchment areas in their respective vicinities were contaminated and polluted by farming and agricultural activities, he claimed.
“It is a known fact that clean water is a basic essential for drinking, washing, cleaning and management of all related sanitation. After more than five decades of independence, most areas around Balai Ringin still do not have proper access to clean water resources or water that is fit for human consumption,” he said in a statement.
“We have suffered long enough during the drought season. There is no concrete action or serious efforts being taken from the relevant authorities to resolve the people’s predicament till today.”
The social activist, who previously contested in Bukit Semuja in the 2016 state polls and Sri Aman parliamentary constituency in the recent GE14, urged the state government to resolve the issue quickly.
“Many people in the affected areas are hoping for better days,” he said. — DayakDaily
