SOME 200 families in Bedong, Kedah have lived without water supply for three years.

The residents of Kampung Sungkap Para said they stopped receiving a steady water supply in 2019.

The villagers residents, mostly oil palm estate workers, said they do not have water for drinking, cooking and washing.

Despite lodging several complaints to the state water authority Syarikat Air Darul Aman (Sada), they said nothing had been done to rectify the situation.

A resident here, who only wanted to be known as Ramu, said Sada sends water tankers to the village.

“The problem started sometime in 2019. Before that we used to have a steady flow of water. 

“When the issue started, we lodged several complaints to Sada but they gave us all sorts of excuses but no permanent solution to the problem.

“They said it was due to a water pump issue, that the water pipes were old, and they had not received funds to change or repair that. They even claimed that there were factories in the area using up all the water.

“Till today nothing has been done to resolve the matter. They only provide us water in tankers on alternate days,” the 55-year-old father of two told The Malaysian Insight. – April 15, 2022.

Ramu said that Sada had even suggested that residents buy their own water tank but he said not everyone could afford it.

“We were told to have our own water tanks in each house so that Sada could send the tankers to fill the tanks instead of sending the tankers on alternate days.

“What they don’t understand is that not everyone residing here are wealthy and can afford to have their own water tanks.

“Whenever the tankers come, elderly people have to carry pails of water back to their homes. With most men at work, the tast is left to the women. It is just too much for them,” he said.

Another resident Jenaki said some residents went to the Sada office on April 10 after growing frustrated with the issue.

She said tthe officers at Sada were not very helpful and continued to tell residents to buy their own water tank.

“Why must we buy our own water tank? Water is a basic right to which everyone is entitled,” the mother of one said.

On Wednesday, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy blasted the PAS-led Kedah government over its failure to resolve its longstanding water woes.

Ramasamy said Kampung Sungkap Para residents continued to receive bills for water despite not having a steady supply of it.

Ramu said it was true that the villagers were being billed for water.

Jenaki said that she received a bill for RM70 last month.

Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Din, 60, said that residents would have running water taps after midnight but added that it was troublesome for families to stay awake till late hours just to store water.

Din runs an eatery and sundry shop near his house

“After midnight, sometimes at 1am or 2am, the water would flow from our taps. We use this to wash dishes, clothes and store some for the next day.

“It is very tiring because we need to wake up early the next day but we have no choice; this is our daily routine,” Din, who lives with his family of six, told The Malaysian Insight.

Din said he paid nearly RM60 for water a month.

Jenaki  said water from the Sada tankers was not clean.

“We can’t use it to cook or take showers. Some of us end up buying bottles of mineral water while some get water from family members who live nearby.

“The entire situation is very stressful for us,” she said.

She said residents at the village could not hold celebrations or gatherings because of the water crisis.

“This has been our situation for almost three years now,” she said, adding her family could not preparare for the Tamil New Year yesterday.

Ramu said that his daughter was getting married next month and that he planned to hold the reception at his residence.

“I have asked Sada, they said they will provide a tanker for my house just for the occasion.”

Legal action

Ramu and Jenaki said their assemblyman had never visited the villager to ask about the crisis or tried to resolve the issue.

Summugam Rengasamy is the assemblyman for Bukit Selambau.

Meanwhile, Seberang Perai city councillor P. David Marshel, who is assisting the villagers with the issue, said they had not received an official statement from Sada about the water supply problem.

He said the villagers were considering suing the water authority and the state government over the matter.

“We are waiting for an official response from Sada. We are also looking at suing Sada and the state government,” he told The Malaysian Insight when contacted. – April 15, 2022.