In dire need of water everywhere

KOTA TINGGI: Scheduled water cuts have forced businesses here to scramble for ways to ensure that their operations are not disrupted during the month-long exercise.

Food stall and car wash operator Saidatul Amira Abdul Razak, 23, said she was considering whether to buy a 2,200-litre water tank or use their well to cope.

“I can only think of using the well which we dug last year for water to wash the cars.

“But the dry spell has made the well unreliable.

“My last resort is to buy the tank but because this is quite expensive, I need to make do with mineral water for cooking and the river for my car wash for the moment,” she said when met here.

Rather than taking the risk, poultry farmer Shahnur Nazri, 30, has gone ahead and bought nine 2,200-litre tanks for the 90,000 chickens at his farm in Kg Tuansheh here.

“I cannot depend on the tankers from the water supplier.

“I need all the water in the nine tanks just for my chickens every day,” said Shahnur, who spent about RM600 for each tank.

“One option is to take supply from a canal in Teluk Mahkota to fill up my tanks,” he said.

Majidah Tok Pa, who runs a restaurant in Pekan Tanjung Sedili here, said she needed to use polystyrene cups, plates and utensils to save as much water as possible.

“We are forced to make this trade-off to conserve water. Although it is a bit pricey for us to buy these, I have no choice but to absorb the costs,” he said.

Sub-contractor Zamrul Ahmad, 41, said he expected some of his projects in town to be disrupted as he did not have enough storage for water.

Retiree Nik Ismail Wan Ibrahim, who lives in Kg Sayang with his wife and daughter, said they had been storing water since Sunday and choosing to eat in restaurants.

The scheduled water cut in Lok Heng and Sungai Gembut in Kota Tinggi and Sungai Mersing and Tenglu in Mersing is expected to last until May 15.