Resources ‘drained’ to cope with water shortage

Water solution: Authorities inspecting the on-going work to divert water supply to affected residents in Kuantan.

KUANTAN: The water shortage in Felda Chini, Pekan, has become so severe that residents are resorting to collecting water from a drain.

Settler Rasli Jaafar, 44, said he has no choice but to look for alternative sources of water, seeing that the disruption has been going on for two weeks.

“The residents in Chini 1 go to a nearby well but about 100 people are sharing the supply there now.

“We found there is water flowing from the hill but the problem is that it goes into a drain,” he said yesterday.

Rasli said so many residents were trying to get the drain water that he has heard of quarrels starting because of the rush.

“Someone has fixed a pipe to the drain but I hope we can make a catchment area so that everyone can share.

“Of course I am worried about health problems and that is why I am buying drinking water for my family.

“There are many residents here who have young children and those with the means buy bottled water,” said Rasli who has a wife and a four-year-old daughter.

He said that Pengurusan Air Pahang Bhd (PAIP) had sent static tanks and water tankers but only to certain areas in the settlement.

“We live on higher ground and PAIP has not sent us any water so far. I hope PAIP can at least put a water tank in our area and top it up regularly,” said Rasli.

PAIP public relations officer Nurul Farhana Abdul Hamid said the number of affected account holders in Chini has improved, dropping from 2,500 to 2,000 accounts yesterday.

She said PAIP was still providing 23 static tanks and water tankers to five areas in Chini.

Besides Chini, there were 1,000 account holders facing water disruption in Lipis and another 360 in Temerloh, she said.

It was understood that the level of Sungai Mentiga, which supplies raw water to the Chini treatment plant, has dropped drastically.