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‘1,156 households in Balingian yet to have clean water supply’

July 27, 2018, Friday

Abdul Yakub Arbi

SIBU: There are 1,156 households in the Balingian state constituency who are still in need of clean water supply, according to its assemblyman Abdul Yakub Arbi.
He said out of this number, 687 are in Balingian and Kuala Balingian areas while the remaining 469 in Bayan Ulu, Temesu and Pengkalan Lobang.
“     Currently these residents depend on river, gravity feed and rainwater as sources of their water supply.
    “In connection with this situation, I hope the federal Minister of Rural Development can expedite the implementation of clean water projects in these water-stressed areas,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted here yesterday.
Abdul Yakub was asked on the number of households in his constituency who have yet to have clean water supply.
     He added during the recent State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, he had voiced out the matter.
         Meanwhile, Minister of Utilities Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi in his ministerial winding-up speech at the recent DUN sitting said the Sarawak Alternative Water Supply (Sawas) project was very crucial towards achieving Sarawak’s vision of 100 per cent water supply coverage by 2025.
       Dr Rundi regarded Sawas as the most strategic water supply system that can provide safe water supply to remote rural communities.
        He pointed out that as a start, five packages are being implemented as pilot projects in different areas across Sarawak and each is currently in various stages of construction.
       Sawas is under Sarawak Water Supply Grid Programme – Stressed Areas, where RM2 billion has been set aside to facilitate the implementation of such projects in the water-stressed areas over the next couple of years under the 11th Malaysia Plan.