Datuk John Sikie Tayai
SIBU: The Tatau Welfare Department delivered a total of 634 boxes of bottled drinking water to five longhouses with 317 residents in Kakus constituency near here yesterday.
According to Assistant Minister of Native Laws and Customs Datuk John Sikie Tayai, this was following the request from the five longhouses with 61 doors in total – facing water supply problem due to the current hot and dry weather.
He named these longhouses as Rh Jonathan Philip, Rh John Asan, Rh Empaling, Rh Barat and Rh Achau.
He also disclosed that another five longhouses with 93 doors, having 457 residents were also on the list.
They are Rh Itam, Rh Daniel, Rh Gerosen, Rh Bansa and Rh Graman.
“Their request just came in today (yesterday) and efforts are being made to deliver 914 boxes of bottled drinking water to these longhouses,” Sikie, who is Kakus assemblyman told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He figured the list will grow if the hot and dry weather persists.
Christopher Gira
Meanwhile, Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira said majority of those longhouses in the constituency that depended on gravity feed and rain water for their daily needs are affected by water supply problem as most of the reservoirs have dried out.
Asked on measures taken to mitigate the problem, he advised longhouse folk to approach pengulus (headmen) in their respective area if they are facing shortage of water supply.
“They need to fill the form and pengulus will liaise with the Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB), to request for supply of treated water to the affected longhouses,” Gira explained.
On the long-term plan however, he spoke of upgrading Stapang and Selangau water treatment plants.
“There are more than 250 longhouses in Tamin constituency, (but) only 25 per cent supplied with treated water (supply),” he said.
Meanwhile, Sibu Water Board (SWB) is using pump smart system, where if there is an increase in demand, the supply of treated water will increase automatically.
Thus far, only Sibintek area has problems due to Pan Borneo Highway construction and having leakage.
The Salim’s water treatment plant has a production capacity of 150 million litres per day (MLD) of treated water, while that at Bukit Lima has 45 MLD.