Residents disappointed over water utility’s unimproved services

KOTA BHARU: Over 300 residents across three villages in Pasir Tumboh here have expressed disappointment at the lack of improvement in water supply services provided by Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB) despite the implementation of a new tariff.

They claim that the water problem has worsened in the weeks leading up to Ramadan, making it difficult for residents to carry out daily activities, while some have even resorted to constructing tube wells at their residences, incurring costs amounting to thousands of ringgit.

Kampung Limbat village head Bukhari Daud, 67, said residents have grown weary of lodging complaints to AKSB.

“They keep giving the same excuses as in previous years, citing drought and leaks due to old pipe damage. We were hopeful that with the implementation of the new tariff, AKSB’s services would improve, but unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case,” he told Bernama recently.

A resident, Adnan Ahmad, 52, said that AKSB seemed to be in a ‘comfortable position’ as it is the sole water management entity in the state.

“The presence of other companies is necessary to offer alternatives for people to access better services and to encourage healthy competition for AKSB,” he said.

Meanwhile, plumber Muhd Zakri Baharudin said he and his three workers have been overwhelmed with requests from customers to install water pump engines in their homes since the beginning of this year.

“We receive many requests in the districts of Kota Bharu, Tumpat and Bachok, which mostly face severe water supply issues. Many of our clients are installing engines to pump water from tube wells or to cope with the low pressure of AKSB water,” he said.

Previously, AKSB reportedly said that the water tariff adjustment would increase revenue for use in operations, infrastructure development, upgrades, repairs and maintenance works.