SARATOK: More than 10,000 people in Saratok are experiencing acute water supply problem brought about by the dry spell and hot weather.
The Nanga Lichok Water Treatment Plant supplies most of clean water to the people in the Saratok. Now it has dried up.
To make matters worse, the Nanga Lichok Water Treatment Plant that supplies clean water to the area is also drying up.
According to Sunang Laka, 67, and a native of the area, the drought and the hot weather were a bit unusual this time and he’s worried.
“It has been a month now and it hasn’t rained here since then, causing the water level at Seblak River to become low. The river supplies water to the water treatment plant,” he said.
Sunang added that inhabitants at the upper reaches of Seblak River had long not depended on the river which had completely dried up.
They had to find alternatives for their water supply.
When met by media personnel in Saratok recently, the people said the water shortage was indeed very critical.
Many households have been living without water for weeks now.
Among areas badly affected are Kabong, Nyabor, Gerigat, Sessang, Perpat and the surrounding areas.
Mohd Rizal, 45, from Kabong said the water problem was so bad there that all activities related to water had to be lessened or stopped completely for now.
He believed the situation had something to do with the El Nino phenomenon.
“Even the water tanks that we use to store water in times like these (dry spell) are beginning to dry up. If this problem prolongs, I fear the worst for the people of Saratok,” he said.
Some areas in Saratok, he added, were however more fortunate such as Seblak Ulu as the river was full and clean to make up for the dry taps in their houses.
A few primary schools in the area had to be closed for now while most food outlets had to use disposable cups and plates to limit the usage of water.
Many people in the area, perhaps out of frustration, were starting to point their fingers at the Kaki Wong Water Treatment Plant which they claimed failed to start operation according to schedule.
Many of them who refused to be named claimed the plant was supposed to begin operation in June this year while the local authority even went on record to announce it in the media.
They, too, believed that if Saratok had two water treatment plants the water problem would never have happened.
“Now that the water treatment plant is not ready as promised, we want the local authorities to speed up the work at Kaki Wong water treatment plant so that it could supply water to the people here,” one of them said.