Jantai shows the water tanks he has had to install.
Among them is Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing, who called on the relevant authorities to rectify the situation immediately.
“Enough is enough, I’ve received too many complaints and it happened to me too. On Saturday, 22 November, after officiating at a function in a longhouse in ulu Baleh, I returned to my house wanting to bathe at 5pm because at 7pm I had another function in town. There was no water and the supply only returned that night around 10pm. Imagine the dilemma. The day before, the same thing happened,” he complained to the media.
“Just within a radius of 5km outside town there’s no water supply during certain hours of the day. Unbelievable! I call on the relevant authorities and the water board to seriously look into the matter to identify the root cause and to rectify the situation urgently.”
He pointed out that the new water treatment plant extension was completed and commissioned in April last year.
“I was told there is enough water for all of us. But the stable supply was short lived. Soon people complained of irregular water supply, which means the fundamental problem hasn’t been solved.
“Is it because of staff attitude, technical problems or high percentage of water leakage due to burst main supply pipes? The authorities should put up a proposal to the government. If you need more funds, let the government know of the need,” he advised.
Temenggong Tan Kian Hoo also requested an explanation on the poor water supply at areas such as Jalan Selirik and Jalan Bukit Goram almost every day around late afternoon.
“As a community leader, I’ve received a number of complaints from the people over the last two weeks,” he said.
For Councillor Jantai Maseng, consistent water supply from the new treatment plant was short lived.
“The first time the new treatment plant was commissioned, the water could reach my house day and night for only a week without fixing the electric pump. After that it comes irregularly. Sometimes, one or two days there’s no piped water.
“In order to ensure water supply, I installed an electric pump and four tanks with a capacity of 2,100 gallons storage.”
Councillor George Tang said taps run dry almost every day between 5pm and 8pm before returning gradually to normal by 10pm.
A resident from Kampung Balan, who requested anonymity, said he had reported burst main pipes at the village to the authorities numerous times.
“So many times no response. They don’t bother. I pity our people because the pipes burst and water doesn’t reach the kitchen. On the other hand, the water from the pipe is so strong like a fountain and the drain becomes very clean with the stream of flowing water.”
Councillor Lawrence Listin Baling and Kapit District Council employee Langit Sengkuai said water disruptions occurred at least twice a week at their homes from around 3pm to 7pm.
“For regular water supply, there needs to be the construction of a reservoir at the Bletih area because here there’s ever increasing demand for water due to the industries, shops and residential houses, government buildings, school, clinic, offices, Bomba (Fire and Rescue Department) etc” said Lawrence.
Housewife Liew Mee Kiong said she has resorted to collecting as much water as possible every day when there is water supply.
“What to do? It’s already a daily routine. There are elderly family members at home to take care of. They need to bathe,” she said.
A source from the water board said the water supply disruptions could be due to the high level of sedimentation and impurities in the raw water.
The RM24 million 12 million litres per day (MLD) plant completed in April 2013 functions in tandem with the old 7MLD plant.
Under the 11th Malaysia Plan, Sarawak has been allocated RM4.5 billion for treated water supply statewide.