GE15: Orang Asli community wants long-term solution to water woes

ROMPIN, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- The Orang Asli community in Kampung Denai here, hopes that a long-term solution to the problem of clean water supply in the village will be found for the convenience and health of the residents.

Tok Batin (chieftain) Yakil Apil said that although the supply of clean water is received every week through tankers, it is not enough and as a result many try to get water from other sources.

"Even now, some of us use bore water (tube wells) that is pumped from underground but the water is not very clean and has silt. We are also worried that we have to continue using this water.

"That's why we want a permanent solution that is not only for the comfort of the residents but also helps save the government money (from having to deliver water every week)," he told Bernama recently.

Kampung Denai, which is located about 40 kilometres from Rompin town and is  within Tioman state constituency, has 85 houses occupied by over 500 people.

A Bernama check in the village also found that there were residents who had to collect rainwater and source from nearby rivers to ensure adequate water supply in their homes.

A villager, Hanapi Titi, 40, said there was a time when he had to buy drinking water from a water dispenser at a petrol station which is a  half-hour ride on his motorbike.

"If you buy water, a barrel is around RM7 to RM8... imagine how much we spend in a year to get clean water, especially for drinking," he said.

Another native of Kampung Denai, Awang Klang, 40, hopes that the water problems they have been experiencing for a long time will be given priority by the winning candidate in the 15th general election (GE15). 

"This has been going on for too long. I am tired of complaining because there seems to be no solution," he said.

The Tioman state election will be held on Dec 7, after it was postponed following the death of Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate Md Yunus Ramli, 61, at 3.30 am on polling day on Nov 19, believed to be due to a heart attack.

The contest will be a five-cornered tussle between PN candidate Nor Idayu Hashim, Datuk Seri Mohd Johari Hussain (Barisan Nasional), Mohd Fadzli Mohd Ramly (Pakatan Harapan), Osman A Bakar (Pejuang) and Sulaiman Bakar (Bebas).

Tioman has 28,465 voters, comprising 28,200 ordinary voters, 262 police personnel and three absentee voters abroad.

-- BERNAMA