SIMUNJAN, June 14, 2014: The people of Simunjan have enough of
politicians giving false hopes.
When things are not in their
favour, they blame nature, as if they have run out of people to be singled out
for the endless water problem in Simunjan.
But why want to give the
promise, in the first place, that the water problem in Simunjan would be
resolved by the middle of last year? Even before this, promises have also been
made many times.
And the latest promise was
that the water problem would be resolved before the Gawai Dayak celebration.
The problem still persists.
Come on, Naroden Majais, you
should know better not to promise the people when you know very well that the
promise is just an empty promise.
And stop blaming the
Opposition PKR officials from raising the problem. They are doing it because
the affected people want them to raise up the issue so that the whole people in
Sarawak, including the chief minister, know it.
If the people complain to you
and PBB people in Simunjan, the likelihood is that the complaint will thrown
into the fast flowing Batang Sadong or sweep under carpet.
It is sure that these ordinary
people have complained many times before during dialogue sessions, but their
complaints were simply brushed aside.
But who can blame the people
if they decide to lodge their complaints with the Opposition?
As the assistant minister of
resource planning and environment, Naroden is in a better position on how to
resolve the water problem affecting Simunjan, more specifically, his
constituency.
It is very disappointing to
read a statement issued by Naroden's spokesman Bojeng Ahli, PBB Simunjan branch
deputy chairman, blaming the dry weather for the water problem in Simunjan.
Instead of assuring the
affected people, this Bojeng is more concerned on the strength of PBB in
Simunjan, which he claimed, will not be weakened by the water problem.
Bojeng must remember that it
was Noroden, not PKR officials in Simunjan, who made a promise on Oct 3, 2012 -
almost two years ago - to resolve the water problem.
This statement was carried in
the official portal of the Sarawak
Government on Oct 4, 2012.
"Simunjan Water Crisis to
End by Mid-2013, says Naroden.
KUCHING: The long outstanding
water crisis faced by the people of Simunjan is expected to be resolved by the
middle of next year once the water mains from Gedong are linked to Simunjan
town.
Assistant Minister of Resource
Planning Datuk Naroden Majais said that
Minister of Public Utilities Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan had in
principle agreed to the plan.
“This will solve the water
problem in Simunjan and its surrounding areas for the long term,” said Naroden.
He said if the water mains
were laid down now following the same road alignment of the Gedong-Simunjan
Road, which is under construction, then the water mains could also be ready
when the road project is completed by mid-2013.
Naroden said water from Gedong
would either be supplied from the Slabi Water Treatment Plant in Serian or from
Bengoh Dam.
“The completion of such a long
term project will not only benefit the people of Simunjan proper but also those
people living in Sebuyau and Bukit Punda areas.”
On the reported case of a man
who allegedly tried to pour herbicide into a fire hydrant in an attempt to
poison the water in Simunjan on Monday, Naroden, who is also Simunjan
assemblyman, said he considered the matter as “very serious”.
“I, for one, strongly condemn
anybody who does such stupid act deliberately to cause harm not only to one or
two persons but to the whole community in Simunjan who share the same water
mains.”
Naroden said if the man was
not happy with someone he had quarrelled with, he should not involve the whole
community.
“The whole community in
Simunjan has been suffering an acute water crisis since last May and yet you
committed such a stupid act that made the situation worse.”
He also took a swipe at the
opposition who planned to picket at Simunjan central to express their
dissatisfaction over the water crisis.
“I thought the opposition will
try to help the people, but instead they will only complicate the situation if
they carry on with the picket,” he remarked, adding that the act was akin to
adding kerosene to fire.
It was reported that the
police in Simunjan had arrested a man in connection with the incident.
The man from Kampung Sekendu
told police that he was too angry and frustrated by the water mains which had
run dry for a long time due to the current dry season.
The water authority in
Simunjan was duly notified and it had confirmed that the pipe valve was tightly
shut and that there was no trace of any dangerous substance in the water
system.
Another Naroden's statement
carried by the Borneo Post on April 16, 2014, under the heading "Simunjan
to have no more water woes soon".
KUCHING: There is good news
for the people of Simunjan especially those who will be celebrating Gawai Dayak
this year as they will be finally free from water woes.
The good news was announced
yesterday by Assistant Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Naroden Majais.
“I am going to push for it
(treated water to Simunjan) before Gawai Dayak this year. This will be
something special for those who are going to celebrate it,” Naroden told the
media at his office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday.
The issue of Simunjan water
woes has been plaguing the coastal town for a long time and has been hogging
the media limelight almost annually especially during dry spells as the town’s
water treatment plant could not supply enough treated water to the some 30,000 town
dwellers.
The Borneo Post has been
following the issue since the Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT 2013) trip to the
town and other coastal towns in July last year.
“With the Sageng Bridge across
Batang Simunjan almost completed, in fact we expect it to be completed by July
this year, we hope the water mains could be connected across the bridge sooner
than that,” Naroden said.
Thus, when the water mains
from Gedong is connected to Simunjan across the Sageng Bridge, treated water
for Simunjan town would be supplied from both the Slabi water treatment plant
in Serian, (via Gedong) as well as from the existing Simunjan water treatment
plant.
“For the time being I hope
that there will be plenty of rain so that the people will have enough water. I
‘kasian’ (pity) my people,” said the Simunjan assemblyman.
Naroden explained that the
delay in the supply of treated water from Slabi treatment plant was mainly due
to the construction of an 18km road from Gedong to Simunjan which included two
bridges. The whole project costs RM120 million.
“The road has been completed.
So is the other bridge crossing Batang Skrang. And both Batang Skrang and
Batang Simunjan bridges cost RM40 million each,” he disclosed, adding that the
whole project started two years ago.
However, Naroden stressed that
to stabilise the water pressure to reach Simunjan, there was an urgent need to
build a high-level water tank either at Slabi itself or at Gedong.
“We need the high-level water
tank so that there is enough pressure for the water to reach Simunjan as the
distance is quite far,” Naroden said, adding that the new water supply from
Gedong to Simunjan was using an 18-inch diameter water main.
He disclosed that the water
connection project from Gedong to Simunjan cost RM20 million to implement. The
project started last November.
ends
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