By Chitra S. Nathan | Apr 17, 2010
Piped water on the way for villagers
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| Ending years of hardship: Mohamad (squatting, second from left) and state plantation affairs, human resources, environment and public complaints committee chairman Datuk V.S. Mogan (left) looking at the well that Papa Raghavan (third from right) draws water from daily in Kampung Dato Mohd Said, Seremban. |
Fifty-four-year old Papa Raghavan, who until a few weeks ago was still drawing water from a well outside her house for her daily use, was thrilled to hear that she would be getting piped water soon.
The housewife was among 32 residents of Kampung Dato Mohd Said at Km4 Jalan Labu near Seremban who have never had the convenience of tap water.
“My neighbours and I have been drawing water from the wells outside our homes for more than 30 years.
“Although we old folks are used to well water, I do not think the water is safe for my grandchildrens’ consumption,” she said outside her home during a visit to the village by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan recently.
Mohamad, who was appalled to hear that the villagers had no access to clean water despite living just a stone’s throw away from town, said he would ensure that they received supply within the next two months.
“I do not know how the plight of these villagers went unnoticed for so long. I can’t believe they are right here under our noses and yet a quarter of the homes do not have access to piped water for so long.
“I have already approved a RM175,000 allocation for the connection of water supply to the villagers’ homes and will make sure that they get to enjoy clean water as soon as possible.
There are 118 houses in the village which is located less than 10km away from Seremban.
Mohamad, who visited the homes of the affected villagers, urged others who had similar grievances to voice their concerns to local leaders.
“We are working tirelessly to ensure no one is left out as the state continues to move forward.
“Under our state social safety policy, every citizen should have access to basic necessities such as clean water and electricity so please approach us to enable us to resolve such matters quickly,” he said adding that the rakyat’s well-being was top priority.
During his visit, Mohamad also informed the villagers that they would soon receive individual titles to their six-hectare plots of land.
“These same villagers do not have individual ownership to their land. We will have to survey the land again to ensure the parcels are divided equally before issuing the titles by year-end,” he said.
Syarikat Air Negri Sembilan (SAINS) chief executive officer Rosman Abdullah, who accompanied Mohamad during his visit, said SAINS had taken immediate measures to provide clean water to the affected families after learning of their plight.
“We placed four static water tanks in the area for villagers to get their daily supply of clean water and fill up the containers regularly.
“This is just a temporary measure until the pipes are laid to ensure they (the villagers) stop consuming the well water,” he said adding that pipe-laying work would begin within the next two weeks.
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