Their source of drinking water

PETALING JAYA: Student Hanidah Ismail, 19, has been relying on water vending machines for her drinking water supply for the past two years.

Hanidah, who lives in a condominium in Kelana Jaya here, said she and her housemate would fill up two 1.5 litre bottles of water daily from the machine located in the building.

She said both of them had been completely reliant on water from the machines, especially during the water rationing exercise in February.

“It is cheap at only 20 sen per litre and it is filtered water. As students, we can’t afford to buy bottles of mineral water every day. It is also more convenient to buy filtered water instead of boiling water daily,” she said.

Water rationing was imposed in Selangor in stages from Feb 25 this year, affecting 6.7 million people, after weeks of hot weather and declining water levels in dams. Water rationing was lifted on May 1.

During the period, many relied on water from vending machines as it was the cheapest supply of drinking water.

Another student, Yusof Hushaimi, 20, said he bought water from vending machines regularly and admitted stomach discomfort sometimes.

“It was only recently that I starting buying water from the machine here.

“I don’t know if it is because of the water but I do get stomach problems sometimes,” he said.

Tailor Jaya Cecila, 60, said she has been drinking water from vending machines over the past five years.

“There is a lot of sediment in the water from the taps in my house in Port Dickson, so I have been buying water from the machines.

“I feel it is cleaner and as it is stated on the machine that the water is filtered, I don’t boil it before drinking,” she said.

Related stories:

Bacteria in your drinking water

Experts: Filtration system must be serviced regularly

No signs these machines dispense clean water