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Friday, July 26, 2013

Paying for air instead of water

The only time there is reliable supply of water for use in Kampung Panchor Dayak in Serian is late into the night or during the wee hours of the morning.
FEATURE
SERIAN: Most people living in Kampung Panchor Dayak here cannot be blamed for thinking that they are literally paying for “air” instead of water everytime they turn on the tap.
It’s been 11 years and Kampung Panchor Dayak along with several other villagers in the district had not experienced a dependable and regular supply of water.
“That’s what we usually get nearly the entire day, only the sound of air rushing through the pipes and out of the tap,” lamented one very disappointed resident, Edyfa Sanyem, 43 when met recently at the village, about 21 kilometres from Serian town and 43 kilometres from Kuching.
Edyfa said the only time there is a reliable supply of water for use is late into the night or during the wee hours of the morning.
Kampung Panchor Dayak first received treated water in 1996. The joy of receiving a full flush of water didn’t last.
According to Edyfa, the villagers have complained numerous times to the relavant authorities, including the Public Works Department (JKR) which handles water supply in Sarawak but to no avail.
“They (JKR) told us the unreliable and insufficient supply was due to the low pressure because of the low water levels in Batang Kayan river (the water source), especially during the dry seasons.
“But even during the rainy season we still experience this kind of problem,” said Edyfa, a contractor who has lived in Kampung Panchor Dayak throughout his life.
But strangely enough the nearby Bidayuh villages such as Tian Mawang, Tian Sekawan, Rituh Mawang, Tarat Mawang and those along the Baki-Riih road seem to be getting steady flow of water from their taps. Others who suffer the irregular water flow for the past 10 years are the Malay, Iban and Chinese communities.
He added that aside from disruption to daily chores, household appliances such as washing machines and water heaters are now redundant in several homes.
Constant delays
Even schools haven’t been spared.
“The pupils in our primary school here (SK St Ambrose’s, Panchor, close to Edyfa’s house) had to go without food during most of their daily intervals, because there is no dependable water supply for cooking their food,” he said.
Like most villages in the Serian district, Kampung Panchor Dayak gets its water supply from the Slabi water treatment plant, just outside Serian town.
“I was there during the officiating of the treatment plant back in 2006. It was said then that the low water pressure problem would be solved once the plant is completed, but the problem still remains now,” said Edyfa.
During a visit to the plant in March 2012, the then-Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Douglas Uggah Embas said the whole of Serian was expected to enjoy clean pipe-water supply by the end of last year, or early this year at the latest, with the completion of the plant at Slabi.
But Serian MP and federal Minister Richard Riot countered saying a completion was only likely in March 2013.
But this too was later denounced.
In January this year state Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister Michael Manyin disclosed that an unexpected delay had occurred and the RM260 million plant will not be ready by March.
Manyin softened his disclosure with a tentative mid-year solution but its now July and there is no end in sight for the water woes in Serian.
Earlier this week, yet another leader, this time federal Works Minister Fadillah Yusof revealed that that there was just not enough water processing plants in Serian.
He said the construction of more such plants was not the responsibility of the federal government.
He said the state government through the rural development ministry should build more plants.
Swift solution unlikely
Apart from Tebedu, the other two state constituencies under Serian are Kedup and Tarat, within which Kampung Panchor Dayak is situated.
While Riot is Serian MP, Kedup and Tarat assemblyman are Martin Ben and Roland Sagah respectively.
With no certainty on when the plant would be completed, Edyfa has given up hope of a swift solution although rumours are rife that the government is looking at other means.
“Recently I heard that they (the authorities) are going to divert our water supply from the Slabi plant to another plant in Mundai.
“Don’t know why they did not initiate this long ago. More and more villages in this district are connected to the water supply grid to Slabi (plant), as if it was done overzealously. Now the water pressure getting weaker,” said Edyfa adding that the Slabi water treatment plant was 10 km from Kampung Panchor Dayak.
Panchor Dayak is one of about 250 villages in the Serian district, and located adjacent to the district’s border with Kuching district, within which the Mundai water treatment plant is situated.

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