By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, June 17: Kampung Spinang in Pusa is experiencing dry taps, again.
Resident Nur Giselle, 45, said the nightmare started a week before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
“Initially, dry taps hit some parts of our village, and about 30 families were affected. Last week, the situation became worse. The whole village was affected,” Nur Giselle told DayakDaily.
She lamented that water tankers only started dropping by last Friday.
“We were fortunate there was some rain before the water tankers started coming. Otherwise, it would even be more unbearable,” she said.
When the situation worsened last week, Nur Giselle said the village headman contacted the authorities but was “given all sorts of excuses”.
Her relative, who had given birth on the third day of Hari Raya in Beladin Clinic, was even asked by the clinic to bring back the bed sheets home to be washed.
“This is how bad the water problem in our area is.
“We are all very frustrated that the project is not completed on schedule. It was supposed to be completed in March this year,” she said.
The “project” that Nur Giselle was referring to is the plan to connect the village to the Beladin Water Treatment Plant.
In July last year, DayakDaily had reported that Kampung Spinang and three nearby villages were experiencing dry taps.
The Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) responded to the article by issuing a statement that it planned to solve the problems plaguing Kampung Spinang by connecting the village to the Beladin Water Treatment Plant.
The project was to be completed by March this year.
According to JBALB then, Kampung Spinang’s water supply had been linked to the Meludam Water Treatment Plant, which produces about two million litres of water per day. But it had been suffering from water shortage problem as the village is situated at the furthest end of JBALB’s pipeline system in the area, leading to low water pressure and, thus, shortage of water during festive seasons.
Nur Giselle wondered if promises made by the government were meant to be broken.
She claimed that while Kampung Spinang had water supply shortage, some villages in Beladin, which is about a 15 minutes’ drive from Pusa, experienced salty water coming out from the tap. At another village, no water has flowed through their pipes for years.
“For us in Meludam, our problem is inconsistent water supply, but for Kampung Tengah Beladin, it is even worse. The village has been having no water for years. The villagers have been depending on well water,” she claimed. — DayakDaily
