VILLAGERS in a small eastern Sabah area say they barely receive treated piped water to their homes — despite the installation of water meters over a decade ago.
In Kampung Peringkat 6, Rancangan Lubuh, Batu 12 Sandakan, over 750 residents say clean water barely flowed from their taps, though water meters were installed as far back as 2010.
The situation became critical in 2018 when all water supply, including previously inconsistent flows, ceased entirely.
“We’ve had meters since 2010. The bills still arrive, but treated water never reaches our homes,” said villager Mohammad Faridin Abidin.
Most of the residents are oil palm estate workers and fishermen, earning modest incomes between RM600 and RM800 per month.
Faridin said the lack of basic water access has placed a heavy financial burden on their families.
“Since 2018, we’ve been forced to rely on a pond we built ourselves. We use it to bathe and wash, but it’s not clean.
“For cooking and drinking, we have to buy water — RM40 for a 1,000-litre tank, and even that only lasts about a week,” he said.
Others pay RM70 for a delivery of pond water to be sent directly to their homes — water that is untreated and unsuitable for consumption.
Bottled water is also bought regularly, especially for families with children, adding to weekly expenses.
In the absence of a steady supply, villagers collect water manually, including the elderly and single mothers.
Faridin said some households have developed skin and ear infections after using water from the pond.
“Some of us have had to seek treatment at hospitals, public and private. The doctors confirmed it was caused by dirty water. It’s not just an inconvenience anymore — it’s a health risk,” he said.
Previously, government tankers supplied clean water occasionally, but residents say these deliveries were halted suddenly in mid-2021, shortly before Hari Raya Haji.
“Before the last general election, there was already no running water. Last year, there were still tankers coming, but since July 2021, nothing,” said Faridin.
In 2021, Sungai Manila assemblyman Mokran Ingkat acknowledged receiving complaints from villagers.
He said the state water department (JANS) had informed him that a clean water infrastructure project — including pipe installation and construction of an elevated tank in Kampung Lalasun — was underway and around 80% completed.
He also announced plans to install four temporary 3,600-litre storage tanks in the village, to be filled three times a week by JANS, likely placed near the mosque. But according to villagers, these tanks were never delivered.
The broader water project, once completed, was expected to benefit more than 7,000 people across Kampung Luboh, Dandulit, Lalasun, Tanjung Pisau and Sungai Daling.
But nearly four years later, Faridin said, no visible progress has reached his village.
“We’re told to wait. That it’s coming. But year after year, it’s the same.
“It’s been seven years without a single drop of clean, running water. The truth is, we’ve never had any — not since the day we moved here.”
“Other Malaysians take water for granted. We’re just asking for the same.” he said. - July 1, 2025
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