Resident’s Offices tasked to send water to drought stricken areas within six hours
Uggah and Fatimah smile for the cameras during the meeting, attended by officials from relevant government departments and agencies. — Bernama photo
KUCHING: The Sarawak government will see to it that villages facing water shortage in light of the current hot spell will receive delivery of water within six hours of a complaint being made.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said all Resident’s Offices in the state have been directed to beef up their machinery on the ground, both to receive information and to respond to the complaints.
“The committee has also decided that all Resident’s Offices are to keep a Key Performance Index (KPI) that water delivery is to reach the villages within six hours upon receiving the complaints,” he told a press conference after chairing a State Disaster Management Committee meeting, here yesterday.
He said the committee has learnt from its shortcomings last year, and will ensure that water delivery will not be an issue this time around.
According to Uggah, Sarawak is now experiencing a weak El Nino episode which will result in dry weather and lack of rain until May, adding that one of the major problems during the period would be a lack of drinking water.
“We have begun to send water supplies now because there are a lot of villages throughout Sarawak which are already experiencing water shortages.”
He added that division-level disaster management committees have been equipped with vehicles and allocations to ensure speedy delivery, while the Welfare Department and Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) have been directed to
ensure there is sufficient clean water to be distributed to affected villages.
“We have also distributed a lot of water tanks to villagers who usually experience water shortages during the dry season. For areas farther away, we will try to use whatever facility that is around and available to deliver the supply whenever the need arises,” he said.
He also said the government has provided five helicopters, five drones, 170 lorries, 549 vans, 109 ambulances and 283 boats through collaborations with the local authorities, for such purpose.
Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah was among those at the meeting.