Giving a big hand to natives

Groups gather to bring electricity and clean water to Pensiangan folk

KOTA KINABALU: Some 200 families in Pensiangan in Sabah’s interior district who have been living without electricity for years will receive help soon.

Other than electricity, the residents of various villages located about 165km from the state capital will also enjoy better water supply.

Help has come from members of Sabah’s local radio station KupiKupi. fm with the aid from Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd and Wanita MCA.

They will be heading to the district next week, bringing with them LED solar lamps and water gravity rehabilitation equipment.

KupiKupi.fm programme manager Lester Miol said that the event was part of the station’s social responsibility to help the less fortunate in Sabah.

At a press conference yesterday, he said the station would be joined by the Pensiangan branch of the United Sabah Peoples Party (PBRS) and the Sabah government in the project.

“It is also supported by Wanita MCA at the federal level as well as Edaran Tan Chong. We will install some 200 LED renewable solar lamps at all households in Kampung Buntulon,” he said yesterday.

He said candles and kerosene were not only costly but a fire hazard and would pollute the environment.

“We hope that the projects will help improve the quality of life of villagers,” he added.

Lester said the rehabilitation work would include repairing the water catchment areas, installing new water tanks and replacing damaged water pipes in villages.

KupiKupi.fm members will also donate 250 packs of 10kg rice to the villagers.

PBRS Youth chief and vice-presi- dent Arthur Kurup thanked KupiKupi.fm for helping residents of Pensiangan.

“We have been working hard to develop the area and help the people. But we are hampered by various challenges we are working to overcome,” he said.

“For example, it is hard to provide proper electricity supply to the people due to the vast area. It is also not possible to bring the electricity grid to the whole district yet.”

There are some 3,000 residents in Pensiangan and most of them depend on farming, fishing and hunting for a living.