Drought-stricken longhouses in Marudi, Mulu get drinking water

MARUDI: The State Disaster Relief secretariat has ordered that drinking water be supplied to 11 longhouses in Poyut-Lubok Nibong area to meet the demand during this prolonged period of drought.

The water shortage was relayed by the longhouse chieftains to the authorities, which instructed the Welfare Department to deliver the much-needed water to the affected residents.

As at Monday, Marudi District Office has, by road, sent over 2,500 boxes of drinking water to eight of the longhouses; the three other longhouses should have received their supply by boat yesterday.

The office of Mulu assemblyman Dato Gerawat Gala has been monitoring the situation since last month, following the dry spell that has been hitting northern Sarawak since January, and the ensuing drought has dried up water sources and streams.

The Borneo Post first highlighted the plight of the affected people in Marudi last month.

Residents had aired their grievances on social media, demanding to know what the authorities, including the elected representatives, had done to address this longstanding problem, affecting them every drought season.

Gerawat lamented the delay in the critical project to supply clean water to Poyut- Lubok Nibong area, which was approved by the Barisan Nasional (BN)-led federal government and had been tendered out by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development before the 14th general election last year, but it was ordered to be re-tendered by the new Pakatan Harapan ( PH) - led administration.

The contract for the project has just been awarded and works are scheduled for completion by September next year.