Nyuak (fourth left) at Rumah Roland Bengau during one of his visits to meet the people.
KAPIT: A PRS Supreme Council member has called on relevant authorities to investigate the quality of treated water here.
Corporate figure Datuk Kristoffer Nyuak said apart from him, local residents had also expressed their concern over the water quality to Land Development Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, who is also Baleh assemblyman and PRS president.
Nyuak, in highlighting his point, said the ‘All Chinese Community Leaders’ Chinese New Year open house on March 2 which was attended by Masing, had to be held at the civic centre here due to interruptions in the water supply.
“Clean and treated water is a must in our day-to-day life. From last week till now, there have been numerous phone calls and text messages directed to Tan Sri (Masing) and myself from Kapit folk, who raised their concern over the water quality.
“If our tap water is not properly treated, it would result in health hazard that could lead to serious consequences.
“In this respect, I call on the authority concerned as well as Kapit Public Works Department to investigate what has happened,” he said.
Nyuak also raised the issue of safety and security at the water treatment plant, calling for actions to ensure that it would be out of bounds from non-authorised persons.
Chairman of the local branch of Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia), Edward Manggah echoed Nyuak’s sentiments.
“If only one person complains, you can ignore it but when lots of people raise the same issue, then it needs to be looked into seriously,” he said.
A local businessman, who only wished to be identified as Kim Yeng, remarked: “I have been sensing something abnormal about the tap water over the past few days. After bathing or washing my hands, it feels sticky and also, there is this smell. It’s not me alone – I asked my wife and she told me the same thing.”
A man known as Ah Pou, who stays along Jalan Bletih here, claimed that the tap water tasted and ‘felt’ acidic.
“I had this nasty experience when I brushed my teeth recently. When my wife cooked vegetables with the same water, it (vegetables) turned yellowish very fast.
“Concerned about the health of my family, I advised my wife to use mineral water for cooking,” he said.
Water supply has always been a cause of concern for the local folk. Previously, it was the dry tap but even after the commissioning of the new treatment plant here in April last year, occasional disruptions in supply still occur.