In 2019, remote village Kampung Podos in Kota Belud, Sabah, saw an upgrade in its piped water system. Since then, village chief Soumin Sadah, 51, has not had to worry about water scarcity for his family of 10.
The pipe upgrade was made possible thanks to Kota Kinabalu-based non-governmental organisation Hopes Malaysia, with RM42,000 in financial support from Star Foundation.
Hopes Malaysia – which focuses on development projects for underprivileged rural communities – clinched the Star Golden Hearts Award in 2019. The same year, the NGO won the Junior Chamber International Malaysia’s Sustainable Development Award In No Poverty.
“We are extremely grateful for the help from Star Foundation and Hopes Malaysia. Without the upgraded pipes, villagers would have to continue walking 15 minutes to the nearby stream to bathe, wash clothes and carry pails of water back to their homes.
“And during the dry season, everyone would harvest rainwater and store it in large bins,” said Soumin, a driver-cum-tour operator, in a phone interview from Kota Belud recently.
Even though water is a basic necessity, many remote villages in East Malaysia still face water scarcity.
A 2021 article entitled “Water Supply System for a Rural Village in Malaysia” published in the Asian Journal of Convergence in Technology states that since Independence, the percentage of piped water in rural areas of Peninsular Malaysia increased from 42% to 96% in 2020. However, Sabah and Sarawak lagged behind with only 62% in 2020.
The factors contributing to the lower coverage of piped water in the Bornean states include undulating topography and scattered population in remote areas. As such, it seems uneconomical to lay out water pipes across vast areas to reach non-urban places.
Kg Podos was among the many villages that endured water shortages. The lack of running water can result in poor sanitation and contaminated drinking water. This can lead to infectious diseases like cholera, diarrhoea and dysentery.
The settlement, about a 50-minute drive from Kota Belud, has about 900 villagers, explained Soumin.
“The village’s first piping system was built in the 1980s when its initial piping lines were only one inch in diameter. Due to issues such as wear and tear from age and corrosion, the pipes have undergone many leakages, resulting in low water pressure from the water source to the village,” said Soumin, who has eight children.
Realising the community’s needs, Hopes Malaysia made the effort to assist the villagers, who are mainly farmers and small business operators.
Founder and executive director Sam Lee said the funding was used to upgrade the worn-out one-inch pipes to two-inch poly pipes.
“The installation took around three months to complete. Twelve volunteers helped to carry bricks, sand, pipes and cement along the hiking trails and crossed rivers to build the water catchment. It was an uphill task to install the 4.5km poly pipes, but thankfully, we had excellent team effort.
“We are extremely grateful for the assistance from Star Foundation. The process of receiving the assistance was swift and efficient. We were honoured that Star Foundation’s former chairman Datuk Fu Ah Kiow visited the site after the project’s completion in 2019.”
But Hopes Malaysia hasn’t been resting on its laurels since completing the piping project. In the last two years, Lee has been educating villagers on sustainable farming and helping them to market their agricultural products in Kota Kinabalu.
He’s also connecting villagers with food and beverage clients in Kota Kinabalu and the outskirts. Lee’s vision is to boost Soumin and his community’s socioeconomic status and quality of life.
Since the pandemic, Soumin has been working as a driver for Hopes Malaysia. His main responsibility is to bring fresh produce from his village to Kota Kinabalu.
“We are working closely with villagers who are interested in expanding their farms and crops in Hopes Malaysia’s agriculture project. Since the movement control order, we have been marketing their products on our social media platform.
“Our hope is that with an increased number of edible crops planted, villagers can reduce their expenses on food. Essentially, we want them to earn a steady income from selling their excess crops, improve their household income and the community’s living condition, and break the cycle of poverty for future generations,” said Soumin.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
