No water for 9 days in Felda settlement near Pekan

Residents in Gugusan Felda Chini near Pekan, Pahang have been left without water supply since Aug 9.

Despite alerting the Pahang Water Management Bhd (Paip), they said there was no formal response and they do not know when the situation will improve.

Resident Yusof Wahab told Malaysiakini that they are not sure what to do.

"The water supply was cut off before the Haj holiday on Aug 9 and this has continued to this day, through the school holidays and the holiday season," he said.

Yusof added that neither the Pekan MP Najib Abdul Razak nor the Chini assemblyperson Abu Bakar Harun had come down to the ground to see for themselves.

"Felda's management and the water department here have also left the people in a state of uncertainty," he said.

Meanwhile, Najib in a Facebook post blamed the water disruption on Pakatan Harapan and accused the coalition of taking revenge.

"I had announced and approved an RM12 million allocation for the water needs of the local residents. That was before the 14th general election.

"After the 14th general election, the Harapan government refused to disburse and delayed it.

"I'm not sure what is the status now. I heard they have not disbursed (the funds) but I don't know when the problem will be solved," he said.

Yusof said the residents were unhappy that they were not given any advance notice before the sudden cut to the water supply.

"We don't understand why this is happening because it's not a dry period," he added.

Yusof, who has lived in the settlement since 1984, said the suspicion of the locals is that logging activities are partially responsible for the low water supply.

This is not the first time this year that the water supply to the area has been affected. In March, the water supply was interrupted due to low water levels at the Chini Water Treatment Plant.

At that point, Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail made an announcement of RM12 million being allocated towards the construction of a new reservoir in the area. 

"It appears that the water supply has been compromised," said another local who usually resides in Kuala Lumpur but returned for the festive season.

"I came back for the holidays and was stunned that there was no supply,” he said, adding that water levels were low at Sungai Mentiga which supplies raw water to the treatment plant.

“Locals are forced to use water from the hills to cook for the Raya celebratory feasts but that brings into question whether or not that water is safe or polluted. I am worried that many could fall sick due to the situation." - Mkini