MARUDI: Some 86 longhouses in both N.66 Marudi and N.67 Telang Usan that involved some 30,000 people had benefited from the 1Malaysia Lifesaver system sponsored by the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.
In fact, more than one million people in the interior of Sarawak will benefit from this system, said Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan at the launching ceremony of the 1Malaysia Lifesaver System at Rumah Ngumbang Tia of Sg Laong Longhouse near Beluru Bazaar last Friday morning.
He said the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development had identified some of 1,495 settlements throughout Malaysia that require the water filtration system, and out of this figure, some 1,007 are in Sarawak and some 300 in Sabah.
The Lifesaver 1M is truly a people-oriented project, considering the many rivers in the interior being badly affected by pollution from oil palm plantations and logging companies, said Sagan who is the incumbent of Baram. He believed that the 1Malaysia Lifesaver would go a long way in helping rural folks get clean water.
The managing director of H20 Saver Sdn Bhd and the contractor for Lifesaver 1Malaysia, Dr Ranjiv Bhanot explained that the technology is from London but the raw materials used in assembling the equipment are from Malaysia, and that each system at the longhouse could sustain at least 200 people.
Ranjiv said Malaysia is the first country in the world to use the system, resulting from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s visit to London.
It can filter water from many sources such as rain, river and stream at the rate of 30 litres per minute.
The users only need to change the filter after it has processed 2 million litres of water, Ranjiv said.
Sagan said the Lifesaver system has been introduced to several Parliamentary constituencies such as Hulu Rajang, Kapit, Selangau, Betong and Baram. This system does not need electricity and each container holds 1,500 litres.
Some 1,300 people from nearby longhouses in Beluru, Bakong, attended the function and among those who spoke were Marudi Division SPDP chairman Alexander Asing John Sadai and former federal PKR information chief Jaya Ramba.
At the function, Sagan donated RM3,000 cash to the organising committee and also presented MRP grant of RM30,000 to Sg Selepin Rumah Aji, RM10,000 to SIB committee of Bukit Limau Longhouse and RM20,000 to Rumah Benang Pilang. Sagan also presented a letter of approval from KKW (Rural and Regional Development Ministry) to build a concrete pavement surrounding the longhouse, the allocation of which is held at the District office, he said.
The longhouses that received the approval of RM20,000 each are Rumah Suring, Sg Bain, Sg Arang B, Bakong,Rumah Turan, Sg Buri, Rumah TR Hillary Tawan, Rumah Henry Jawan and Rumah Pengiran Damit. Also present at the function were Penghulu Paul Kalang, Penghulu Joseph Belulok Dian and chiefs from the 58 longhouses.