BUTTERWORTH: The 20-odd old wells had been abandoned and covered with overgrowth for some 70 years, ever since piped water supply came to the village of Kampung Kuala Juru.
So, when news broke late last year that there was going to be a four-day water cut in the state, a group of villagers decided to revive the historic wells that their ancestors had used for about 200 years.
They set about collecting funds and, with about RM12,000 in hand, they refurbished and repaired three of the wells. And it turned out to be a big blessing.
“Almost 1,000 villagers are using the wells now. Even those from nearby villages are coming to get their water supply from here,” said Sulaiman Said, 62.
Even when there was piped water supply, the wells were in high demand, with many enjoying cool baths there.
Sulaiman said they had rushed to repair the wells during an earlier water cut on Dec 18.
“What was supposed to be a one-day water disruption ended up lasting for days. We cleaned and reconstructed some of the old wells.”
Cool solution: Teenagers from Kampung Kuala Juru on mainland Penang, taking their bath at a centuries- old well near the village. The villagers in the area have been using the well and several others at the village during the water cut period. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
A total of 200,000 consumers in the island’s southwest district and Seberang Prai suffered the disruption when a section of a pipe at the bottom of Sungai Prai burst on Dec 18.
“We have again been relying on the water from the wells in this latest water cut,” he said when met at the village on Thursday.
The latest water cut was to accommodate the replacement of two valves in the main treated water pipeline at the Sungai Dua treatment plant. It affected some 590,000 consumers on the island and mainland.
Sulaiman, who was born and raised in Kampung Kuala Juru, said the 20-odd old wells, with water from the springs at nearby Bukit Juru, had been the main source of water supply for two centuries before piped water came to the village in the 1970s. They were then abandoned.
He said they were planning to clean and rehabilitate more wells in case of future water cuts.
“I hope someone can help with the funds,” he said.
A visit by The Star to the village found teenagers enjoying a cold bath at the wells.
Muhammad Haziq Safwan Hishammudin,16, said the water was fresh for bathing and washing.
Saodah Ridzuan, 43, who lives in Kampung Bukit Kechik, about a kilometre away from Kampung Kuala Juru, said she heard about fresh water from the wells from her son and praised the villagers for reviving them.
Meanwhile, water supply to the area looks to be delayed again as repairs to the pipe at Sungai Prai have failed and it has sprung a leak again.
“The pipe can no longer be repaired, so we will temporarily divert the water through a 900mm diameter pipe to be laid by the banks of the river and across a road bridge,” said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, urging residents in the affected areas to continue storing water.
