KUCHING: Rural areas facing water supply disruptions must receive emergency water deliveries within 12 hours after a complaint is lodged.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said Residents, who chair their respective divisional disaster management committees, had been instructed to closely monitor the situation and act immediately.
“Once a complaint is received, water must be delivered within 12 hours,” he said to reporters after the Phase 1 UNIFOR grant presentation at the UNIFOR Complex here on Tuesday (Aug 18).
He said water supply problems were still being reported in several rural areas amid the prevailing hot and dry conditions.
Uggah expressed concern that some affected communities might not be receiving emergency water supplies within the stipulated period.
He therefore advised the Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) to review and reorganise its delivery arrangements to ensure a more effective response.
“JBALB must reorganise and replan so that, if the hot and dry conditions persist, we have a strategy to address water shortages in rural areas,” he said.
Uggah said the state government was closely monitoring the situation as reliable water supply remained a key concern, adding that Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) had reported that water levels at the state’s hydroelectric dams remained relatively low despite the recent rainfall.
The state government is continuing to coordinate with the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) before determining when cloud-seeding operations can proceed.
Meanwhile, on the haze situation, Uggah said the rainfall had helped clear the air on Tuesday, with most Air Pollutant Index (API) readings returning to acceptable levels.
“We are happy that the rain came down because it has cleared the haze today,” he said.
