As 70-year-old Md Zan Sulaiman turns on the tap in his house near Tasik Chini in Pekan, Pahang - his joyless face could tell it all.
It was probably the 100th time he tried the tap in the past month, but as always, it came up empty.
"There was not a single drop of water. Not even the sound of air pressure from the pipes at my house," he told Malaysiakini when met about a week ago.
Zan is one of the residents of Kampung Gumum facing water woes at the Orang Asli village.
Villagers have gotten used to having their clean water supply come and go as it has been happening for a few years, mainly due to water pressure issues, but the problem has worsened in the past two months.
According to the retiree, it’s a bane for the villagers who now have to depend on water trucks, which the state water authority sends daily.
Zan said many families have to wait for the truck to come every day and fill out tanks at the side of the village's main road.
Some have their own water drums which they have placed on the roadside outside their homes for the water company workers to fill.
For those who don't, they have to walk some distance to the nearest temporary tanks.
Even with the supply coming daily, the water was never enough, especially for large households.
"Sometimes, when the water collected runs out, I would go to the surau or to my daughter's house at a nearby village to get some, because they have a water pumping station built by an NGO.
"Life has been hard for us since the taps completely ran dry. Every day we would have to carry water into our house," he added.
Zan said the water issue also caused him to lose his washing machine and water dispenser which were damaged.
"When I wanted to host my daughter's wedding several months ago, the water authority asked me to buy water for the event.
"I told them it is okay, I will pay for the water I need. But I also asked them, ‘I have water pipes connected to my house, should I send the taps to the museum?’”
Zan's sentiment was shared by his neighbour Nor Laila Roslan who lives with her husband and three kids.
The 39-year-old, who was born and raised in the village, said the daily supply sent by Pengurusan Air Pahang Berhad (Paip) was barely enough for her family, especially during school days.
"We have to depend on the one tank for everything - from bathing, cleaning, washing clothes, to cooking and for drinking," she said.
Like many other villagers, she also has to wait for a water tanker to arrive and then carry the water into her house.
"This has been my daily chore. To bathe my kids and wash our clothes, I can do it here (at the tank outside my house), but for other stuff, I still need to carry water inside," she added.
In July last year, Malaysiakini reported that Orang Asli villagers living near Tasik Chini were facing water woes despite residing right next to the second-largest natural freshwater lake in Peninsular Malaysia.
This was due to the lake water being deemed unsafe for consumption because of pollution in recent years.
According to many Tasik Chini Orang Asli met by Malaysiakini last week, the health authority advised them not to use the lake water for drinking and bathing.
"We can only use the lake water to wash clothes. I don't dare drink it, it's so dirty. We can get stomach aches," said a Kampung Tanjung Puput villager who only identified herself as Noriani, 27.
Repairs happening in stages
Malaysiakini learned that the water woes were mainly related to a long-standing issue with the water pump, which constantly breaks down, and pipe bursts.
In last year's report, a Paip official said there were plans to replace the old pipes and they expected to resolve the problem by the end of that year.
Chini assemblyperson Mohd Sharim Md Zain when contacted said a meeting was held recently between villagers, himself and state representatives.
It included the participation of Pahang exco in charge of Works, Transportation and Health portfolio Mohammad Fakhruddin Mohd Ariff and Paip officials.
"We have discussed this problem. Paip will continue to bring water to the village until the water supply is restored.
"According to Paip, they now have the budget to change the water pump valve and will do the needful within the next couple of weeks," he told Malaysiakini.
Paip manager for the Pekan area Muhamad Faiz Abu Zaki said they have taken several measures to address the problem.
They include installing a telemetry system at the water tank for Kampung Gumum, and replacing a pump control panel.
This is to separate the pumps that supply water to the village and a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia research centre located nearby.
"For extra measures, we are also going to install a butterfly valve at one of the tanks to improve the channelling of water to the Gumum Pump Station.
"We hope by taking these measures, and if all goes according to plan, the water supply to Kampung Gumum can be restored in stages," he told Malaysiakini.
Paip also plans to replace the existing pipes with a new one called mild steel cement lining pipe, he added. - Mkini
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