Affected residents have to buy mineral water bottles for daily use.
KUCHING (Dec 26): A few longhouses in Assan Nunggang area are still without water after two years since their groundwater piping system was affected by the Pan Borneo Highway project, said Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) President Datuk Sri Tiong King Sing.
The dire situation was revealed after a field visit to several longhouses and he immediately contacted Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) to find a solution to the problem, he informed in a statement today.
“There are some longhouses that do not have the basic facilities for to two years, making it difficult for residents to continue their daily routine work such as cooking, washing clothes and so on.
“I was informed that the residents have complained to JBALB many times about this matter, but the department informed that the Pan Borneo project affected the groundwater piping system,” he said.
Tiong pointed out that it was an “illogical” excuse for the water supply problem in that district.
“If I remember correctly, the previous federal government had allocated RM1 billion to fund the relocation of groundwater pipes.
“If the Pan Borneo project is not completed in a day, how long will the residents have to face the problem of no water supply. It is too much,” he lamented.
Tiong also found out that the households could only collect rainwater in large basins or buy mineral water for cooking and drinking, and even having to bathe by the river to save water.
“There are actually about 200 longhouses in this area but there are about 100 longhouses that are not on the district office registration list, resulting in loss of rights.
“This makes the longhouses involved unable to apply for funds for the purpose of upgrading their longhouses,” he said.
Therefore, Tiong advised them to immediately register their longhouse at the district office to facilitate the proper application of funds from the authorities.
He said that staff at the PDP Central Region Community Service Centre would also provide assistance.
Tiong further informed that longhouses with less than ten doors were eligible to open an account and receive funds.
He did not deny that the data system or household profile that was not frequently updated was a reason that caused the government’s inaccuracy in distributing the relevant allocation or funds, he added.
“The interrupted longhouse upgrade projects also indirectly affects the living environment and the safety of the residents.
“At the same time, I hope that all government officials immediately improve their work attitudes, and set performance standards in their respective units as well as visiting the residents more often to understand their issues,” he suggested.
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