KOTA KINABALU – About 600 residents of the Seri Indah flats in Sepanggar, near here, have asked the Sabah Water Department to act immediately to overcome the problem of clean water supply that has gone on for the past six months.
The residents of the four-storey flats also expressed being stressed by the disruption of clean water supply, besides being disappointed that no proactive action had been taken by the local authorities to overcome their woes despite having made so many complaints.
A resident, Osman Awang, 65, who is also a retired civil servant, said they have had no choice but to climb up and down the stairs to get water as the flats are not equipped with elevators while some even had to resort to buying mineral water for daily use.
“Imagine how we have to live as most of us here are from the B40 and extreme poverty groups. Some share the cost of buying water. I have two persons with disabilities at home who require constant care and lots of water.
“Even the fire hydrant has no water at all. If anything (fire) were to happen here, how can we get water? As such, I ask that those responsible come here and see themselves our situation here and find a solution,” he told reporters here today.
Another resident, Noraina Robin, 23, who is also a mother of two, said the water supply disruption had also affected their lives and source of income as kuih sellers, despite having to bear the cost of buying water and tissues for daily use.
“There is no water at all. I am stressed as I have to use my money to buy water and other necessities. My husband works as a mechanic and does not earn a stable income. The sale of my kuih is affected too. If I could previously make RM100 a month, now I can only make about RM40,” she said.
For Dougin Kurun, 48, this is the worst water supply disruption he has faced since moving into the flats.
“I’ve been here since the early 2000s. This is the first time we have experienced a water supply cut that has gone on for six months. Previously, we did have (water woes) but not as bad as what we are facing now. I am very tired. Daily after returning home from work, I have to fetch water and carry it up to my unit on the fourth floor.
“I used to pay the water bill every month but now no one wants to pay as there is no water. So, I hope the authorities will act immediately to overcome this problem so that normal supply will resume,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sepanggar community member Hafizul Andie, who has been providing mineral water as an initiative to assist the flat residents, hopes that more non-governmental organisations will step forward to channel similar assistance to the residents and ease their burden. – Bernama, December 21, 2022
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