KUCHING: The quality of water from Batang Sadong and Sungai Kedup, the sources of raw water intake for the Slabi Water Treatment near Serian can be analysed by a third party, said DAP Serian Chairman, Edward Luwat.
Edward reckoned that the result will be compared with the result just released by the Ministry of Public Utilities, Sarawak which maintained that the raw water from Batang Sadong was safe for human consumption and was not containing poisonous substances.
He urged the Ministry to explain how poisonous substances in the form of weed killers, insecticide, chemical fertilisers and others applied for use in the thousands of acres of plantations in the catchment area of Batang Sadong and Sungai Kedup could be effectively filtered by nature before they could contaminate the river water.
The Ministry should also explain the possible causes of extinction of many species of fish in the Sadong and Kedup rivers. Edible river snails were seen dying in the millions at river banks during dry seasons.
In the sixties one didn’t see river snails perishing in shallow water and river banks even during the worst of droughts.
Villagers living along the Sadong and Kedup rivers
have often witnessed dead fish floating on several occasions.
There are many witnesses who are willing to confirm the sightings. What are the causes of deaths of fish and extinction of marine lives, he queried.
Villagers, he said, were also complaining that they suffer from skin rashes when bathing in the river during drought season. People are said to avoid bathing in the Kedup river during dry season.
If the findings of the independent body are of much difference to the Ministry’s findings, the independent analysts and the Government chemists and state government analysts, these various parties will be invited to collect samples at the same spots and time to redo the analysis.
Only then we conclusively determine the quality of our raw water treated for our consumption, said Edward.