Sungai Serungut residents want clean water supply

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The murky river water after a continuous heavy downpour last week.

MIRI: About 80 residents of Rumah Edward Ekau in Sungai Serungut, Suai, Niah here are urging the authority to speed up the installation of clean water supply facility to their longhouse which they claim has long been delayed.

Chairman of Dayak Think Tank Group (DTTG) Miri Elias Lipi, who visited the longhouse which is about 75km from Miri City recently, said he was saddened to see longhouse folk having to carry out their daily routine without clean water supply and only relying on the nearby river or rain water.

One of the water tanks used by the longhouse folk to store their water for daily use.

“I feel sad to see what they are going through. It seems that they are left behind by development because they have no clean water to drink, cook or clean. Clean water supply is our basic need and life can be very difficult without it,” he said.

During the visit, Elias said he was informed by the residents that they had highlighted the problem to the authority concerned and the elected representative for the area many times, but until today the problem is still unresolved.

“It must be hard for the longhouse folks to be still without clean water supply even though other longhouses in nearby areas are already enjoying the amenities.

Elias Lipi Mat

“We hope the authority concerned can look into this matter and speed up the process to provide them with clean water supply,” he said, adding that such problem should not exist anymore in this era as the other areas have long been enjoying the facilities.

Meanwhile, one of the residents Sylvester Radin said they rely on water tanks to store rain and river water for their daily use.

“But this is a problem during rainy season, as the river water becomes murky and dirty, especially after heavy downpour.

“It is worse during dry season as we have to seek other alternatives when our water storage tank is out of water,” he said.

Sylvester Radin

Radin also appealed to the authority concerned as well as the peoples’ representative for the area to immediately act and resolve their water woes as well as lessen their burden.

He said their daily lives are badly affected by the problem and he feels sad as his family as well as other folks in the longhouse having to go through the trouble of carrying buckets and buckets of water from the river just to fill their water tank on a daily basis.