“Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine.”
– British actress, Audrey Hepburn
LAST Thursday night (Dec. 11), I was happy to be home early after a long day in the office.
“Okay, let me wash the dogs’ bowls and the unwashed crockery and cutlery in the sink first,” I told myself.
But when I turned on the tap in the kitchen, not a drop of water came out. I had the shock of my life. Did my son forget to pay my water bill?
So I whatsApped him. “Just home. But pipe no water. Did you pay my bill, Tzen?”
He was indignant. “Water Board owes you RM12.85, not you owe it,” he replied.
After that, he sent me a Water Supply Interruption Notice put up by Sarawak Water (Southern Region).
He must have got the notice from the Kuching Water Board website.
According to the notice, the Start Date was Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at 1:00 pm.
The End Date was Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at 12:00 am (extend).
The cause of disruption was: Repair of 400mm DI main leak due to third party (ART (Kuching Autonomous Rapid Transit) work) at Jalan Canna near Taman Stutong Indah, Kuching.
The notice said the affected areas along Taman Stutong Indah, Tabuan Tranquility, Northbank, Tabuan Jaya Baru 1, Tabuan Jaya 2 along Jalan Canna and surrounding areas would be experiencing low water pressure or no water supply.
It added ‘water tanker’ would be mobilised.
It advised road users to exercise caution when driving on the road during the period of this repair work and to comply with all management for safety and regulations.
“Any inconvenience caused is very much regretted,” it added.
I live in Tabuan Laru. Last Thursday, I was already in my office by noon and did not know the water supply to my housing estate would be interrupted at 1:00 pm. If I knew, I would have stored more fresh water for drinking and cooking before I left the house.
“Call and complain to the Water Board,” whatsApped my son after he sent me the Sarawak Water notice.
I did not.
So what did I do? I found my electric jug kettle was still full of water, so I switched on the plug and made some hot green tea to drink.
Yes, hot green tea is great for calming nerves because it contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes a state of calm alertness and eases stress.
I had planned to mop the floor that night. But I could not do it, so I postponed the work to another day or night.
Instead, I decided to sleep early after bathing with some water I had stored a few months ago in two plastic containers in the bathroom.
Last Thursday’s water supply interruption was not the first to happen in Tabuan Laru this year.
In September this year, I was also affected by another major water supply disruption in Kuching; a 600mm pipe was hit during piling for the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) Blue Line.
The affected areas were Jalan Stutong, Jalan Saradise, Jalan BDC, Jalan Canna, Jalan Muara Tabuan, The Northbank, Tabuan Jaya, Tabuan Laru and more.
Many residents expressed frustration over the repeated issues, lack of preparedness, and slow water tanker responses.
Indeed, many areas in Kuching have experienced several water disruptions this year, mainly due to pipe bursts and planned maintenance/flushing works.
If the pipe bursts are due to ART work, I guess the water supply disruptions are minor sacrifices Kuchingites have to bear for the sake of development and progress.
Work is now in progress on Sarawak’s LRT project or the ART system, a trackless hydrogen-powered public transport using virtual tracks which form the backbone of the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project by Sarawak Metro.
Phase 1 involves three lines (Blue, Red, Green) covering about 70 km, with operations starting in stages from the end of next year. The project aims to ease congestion with eco-friendly, autonomous travel integrating with feeder buses for comprehensive coverage.
The LRT project heralds a major transport and economic transformation for Sarawak, focusing on efficient, green mobility via hydrogen-powered Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) to cut congestion, create jobs and link key areas like Kota Samarahan, Serian and Damai.
It will boost development and turn Kuching into a modern competitive city with sustainable, future-ready public transport.
To avoid being shocked by future unexpected water supply interruptions at home, maybe, from now on, I should be proactive. I should check the official website of Kuching Water Board and follow the social media for announcements from local Facebook pages.
I should also buy more containers for storing emergency drinking water and water for cooking.
Oh, the taps at my home were dry from Thursday afternoon until 2:00 am on Friday.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at adelinel888@gmail.com.
