SERIAN: DAP Serian Chairman has issued a press release highlighting water woes in Serian.
In yesterday’s press statement, he said that for the past weeks the people living in villages along the Serian-Sri Aman road had been complaining of dry taps during the day.
Water only flows at around midnight of each day when people are already sleeping. Only those who stay awake till late in the night take the trouble to store water for use the following day.
People are therefore expressing their grievances as they need water most in the evening. That is the time when they need water for bathing after returning from their farms and from work. The evening of each day is the peak period for usage of water as that is the time when laundry, washing and cooking are carried out.
Toilets cannot be flushed when there is no water. Utensils are not properly cleaned. Some turn to nearby streams for call of nature causing water to be subject to human waste contamination. As it is dry season this could cause water borne diseases like cholera to spread fast if an outbreak occurs.
Many are turning to rain water collected from their roof if it happens to rain. Rain water collected from roof top could be contaminated with animal droppings and urine. Rat urine causes leptospirosis. This is certainly a health threat to the people too.
Several village committee members made enquiry at the office of the Department of the ‘Rural Water Supply Department’ at Serian. They were told that the water generated at the Selabi Water Treatment Plant near SerianTown had to be diverted to areas outside Serian, like Gedong in Simunjan District.
It is also said that the water from the Selabi Treatment has to be piped to Simunjan as the Simunjan water source is said to be critically low.
This is a problem that the Government and Government agencies need to address urgently. In late 2015 when the Selabi Water Supply Plant was commissioned, the Government assured that the plant would be able to supply water to all areas in within 40 km radius from Serian Town.
It was stated that 90 per cent of the people in Serian District would enjoy treated water supply to their homes. What has actually been achieved is far less than the 90 per cent assured and many areas like Baki and Taee-Riih road are still experiencing frequent interruption of water supply.
Rabbies has created a black milestone for Serian and it is hoped that the water problem will not cause another bad milestone.
The water supply problem in Serian is certainly an issue to be addressed immediately. A study needs to be conducted to find long term solution to the problem, the statement concluded.
