GEORGE TOWN, May 30 — A group of about 30 Sungai Bakap residents held a peaceful demonstration outside the state legislative assembly building at Light Street here today to seek solutions to longstanding water issues in their area.
Sungai Bakap (temporary) steering committee deputy chairman Khairul Ahmad Fitri said the residents of Mukim 5 in South Seberang Perai have suffered frequent water disruptions over the last four years.
He claimed that last week, final funeral rites for a deceased resident had to be delayed due to water supply disruption in the area.
“We have raised this issue several times with the state government, state assemblymen and Penang Water Supply Corporation, but no action was taken to resolve our issue,” he told reporters during the demonstration.
The group handed a memorandum to the state government to pressure the state and PBAPP to find a solution to their problems.
“We have complained so many times, but the response we get has been disappointing, and the short-term solutions failed to take into account our welfare,” he said.
He said the authorities had notified residents that water supply to the area was divided among industrial zones in Batu Kawan and Bukit Minyak.
“This excuse is unacceptable and highly unfair to us, domestic consumers,” he said.
He said the temporary water tanks prepared by PBAPP for about 32,000 households were insufficient.
“The water provided was unsuitable for use, especially for cooking, and it was difficult for senior citizens or those living far from the water tank location to carry the buckets of water home,” he claimed.
Another resident present at the demonstration, Nurul Niza Zaini, 44, said residents of Taman Seri Emas only received water for a period of four hours a day, from 1am to 4am.
“It is illogical that we only get water during this time as this means waking up in the middle of the night to use water,” she said.
She said water disruptions in the area deteriorated this year to between 15 and 20 hours per day.
“We can no longer take this and if the authorities still do not resolve this issue, we will lodge reports with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to find a solution,” she said.
In February, Nibong Tebal MP Datuk Mansor Othman held a dialogue session with residents from 14 areas in Nibong Tebal affected by water disruptions, together with PBAPP and the National Water Services Commission (SPAN).
Among the short-term measures introduced included placing 16 community static water tanks in addition to 16 existing static water tanks for those affected by the low water pressure and water disruption.
He said five long-term projects are in the works to resolve the issue which could take between three and five years to implement.
