KUBANG PASU – The residents of Kampung Wang Perah in Jitra in Kedah here have been forced to run household chores such as laundry and fish scaling at a nearby river for the past three months after being cut off from their clean water supply.
A resident, Mohd Naser Mohd Nor, 59, said the villagers have been forced to source untreated water from the river after a reservoir tank, owned by Syarikat Air Darul Aman (Sada), ceased to operate.
“Of course, we have another alternative which is to receive water from Bukit Perangin that is channelled from house to house, but the supply of water from the high ground is often silty while the pipes tend to get clogged after heavy rainfall,” he told The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister publication Getaran.
“Furthermore, the water supply is low during heated seasons. That is why water supply from Sada is important, but the problem is that the supply was cut off three months ago.”
Due to the problem, Naser said the residents were forced to pool funds together to allow cleanup activities to be conducted on the pipeline from Bukit Perangin.
Another resident, Nor Hayati Md Zain, 50, said the villagers were baffled over the lack of supply as Sada had recently built a water tower, suction tank, and pump house there.
“We assumed that when the tower was built, our problems would be solved. It turns out that this has not been resolved and we are forced to depend on water from the hill area with a system that was built about 45 years ago.
“When the supply from the hill is affected, we are forced to use river water. What hurts the most is that we were forced to fork out more money during the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities to buy disposable plates and bowls due to the never-ending water supply problem.”
Siti Solehah Hiddayah Rani, 23, said she and other residents have been washing clothes at the river for the past three months.
“It is not one or two families, but many who do this. Sometimes, we also scale fish here because there is not enough water in household pipes,” she said.
“There are also villagers who carry water to their homes in the evenings so that their children can bathe before going to school the next day. We hope this problem is addressed immediately.”
Meanwhile, another resident, Rofiah Ahmad, 56, said the local community has sent countless complaints to the authorities but their cries have fallen on deaf ears.
She said no water supply trucks have been sent to the area to meet the community’s needs.
“We are still receiving our monthly bill even though there is no water supply. When paying the bills previously, I blatantly told Sada staffers that it is as if I am paying for ‘air’ supply as there is no water in our taps.”
She said the Sada staffers had promised to send help to the area in the past, but no action has been taken so far.
Rofiah added that she had to skip having baths on selected days even though she was tired from working at a nearby nursery.
“Just imagine reaching home at seven in the evening and you cannot bathe because the water supply from the hill has been disrupted. When that happens, I cannot cleanse myself, while (cooked) food must be bought from shops.
“At home, I am only living with a special needs child. This situation is really affecting us and I hope the authorities will give their attention to this matter.” – The Vibes, June 6, 2022
