SIBU: Unstable water supply and low water pressure in Sibu Jaya continue to irk residents, said Dudong assemblyman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
He said the deadline for resolving the problem that was originally scheduled for end of July has long passed.
“Residents there are still living in misery of running out of water, leading to many to resort to protesting openly.
“Today, I raised the matter at the State Development Coordination Committee meeting convened by the Implementation Monitoring Unit of the Sarawak Premier’s Office to seek an explanation.
“It was revealed during the meeting that the Rural Water Supply Department of Sarawak (JBALB) had been unable to put the water supply network into service within the previous deadline due to technical problems.
“As a result, the residents of Sibu Jaya today are still experiencing a lack of normal water supply,” he said in his Facebook posting.
He added that JBALB also assured during the meeting that the outstanding technical problems related to implementation of the network is being overcome progressively and is expected to be resolved by end of this month.
“Although the water supply in Sibu Jaya and Eco Garden is expected to be back to normal by month’s end, past history has shown that the JLALB and Sarawak Water Board have not been clear or transparent in explaining and informing the public regarding delays or why the implementation has not been well completed in time.
“Despite many progress reports and reassurances, the public is still left waiting for a stable water supply for months and years,” he said.
Tiong said these public agencies are still enjoying taxpayers’ funds without realising that they must start taking the people’s demands more seriously.
“Any plans related to the people’s well-being and interests must be respected as they have every right to know and hold the units responsible for the plan accountable. Even if any project is delayed due to any reason, it must be clearly explained, rather than hide behind closed doors from the people.
“Doing so would only alienate the people and result in bad impressions of the responsible agencies. This would eventually lead to residents resorting to protests and demonstrations to vent their anger and dissatisfactions to make their voices heard,” he told.
He reminded the relevant agencies to immediately put their efforts into action to resolve the water supply problem once and for all.
“This issue has plagued the local residents for far too long. We are duty-bound to bring them out of this miserable situation efficiently and responsibly without further delay,” he added.
