Jap showing a drain where the villagers used to take bath before they were supplied with tap water last year.
Lihut proudly showing the tap water outside the house of her parents-in-law.
DARO: The Melanaus of Kpg Nanga Besar here are a thankful lot after receiving steady supply of tap water since last year.
According to Lihut Ani, 50, they had to endure great hardship in the past, especially during Ramadan, as they had to fetch water from Nanga Besar River, which is quite a distance from the village.
“But thank goodness, since last year, we finally have water running through our taps. This has greatly eased our daily burden especially during festive seasons,” Lihut told BAT V at her village some seven km from here yesterday.
Before the water supply last year, her family had to take their bath in the drain nearby, which she described as very dirty and polluted because the village folks used it as their dumping place.
“But then again, what choice did we have but to endure such daily hardship,” said the mother of five.
Lihut, however, was quick to point out that sometimes, the water pressure could be very low in the evenings.
“To solve the problem we have to store water in our water tank that is enough for household use for at least a few days,” she highlighted.
Meanwhile, Jap Sugung, 54, was undoubtedly grateful for the treated water at her village which had been suffering from completely dry taps for the last five years.
It was bearable during rainy season, she said, as she could use rain water for cooking and drinking. But during the dry weather, she had to carry water from the main road which is about a km away.
“Before we had water, I used my bicycle to carry water from the main road from 2am till about 6am.
“All the villagers queued up for the water. What was even worse was when it was finally your turn after queuing up for a long time, there was no more water left.
“During those years, I cried so often because it was so hard for us. I have six children and we did need a lot of water,” lamented Jap.
For the elderly folk in the village, their situation was even worse, she said, as they could not carry water from the main road, forcing them to use water from the drain for cooking most of the time.
“It was a hard time for us then. Now the situation has improved so much. None of the villagers now bathe in the salt water from the drain. So there is no more skin itchiness for all of us,” said Jap.
However, there could be interruption in the supply of treated water sometimes, she added, averaging five days a month when the taps ran dry.
The plight of the villagers of Kpg Nanga Besar was highlighted by BAT III two years ago, prompting the relevant authorities to come up with a concrete solution to assist them such as by using tankers to supply water. The village has about 200 houses.