KUCHING: There is good news for the people of Simunjan especially those who will be celebrating Gawai Dayak this year as they will be finally free from water woes.

The good news was announced yesterday by Assistant Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Naroden Majais.

“I am going to push for it (treated water to Simunjan) before Gawai Dayak this year. This will be something special for those who are going to celebrate it,” Naroden told the media at his office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday.

The issue of Simunjan water woes has been plaguing the coastal town for a long time and has been hogging the media limelight almost annually especially during dry spells as the town’s water treatment plant could not supply enough treated water to the some 30,000 town dwellers.

The Borneo Post has been following the issue since the Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT 2013) trip to the town and other coastal towns in July last year.

“With the Sageng Bridge across Batang Simunjan almost completed, in fact we expect it to be completed by July this year, we hope the water mains could be connected across the bridge sooner than that,” Naroden said.

Thus, when the water mains from Gedong is connected to Simunjan across the Sageng Bridge, treated water for Simunjan town would be supplied from both the Slabi water treatment plant in Serian, (via Gedong) as well as from the existing Simunjan water treatment plant.

“For the time being I hope that there will be plenty of rain so that the people will have enough water. I ‘kasian’ (pity) my people,” said the Simunjan assemblyman.

Naroden explained that the delay in the supply of treated water from Slabi treatment plant was mainly due to the construction of an 18km road from Gedong to Simunjan which included two bridges. The whole project costs RM120 million.

“The road has been completed. So is the other bridge crossing Batang Skrang. And both Batang Skrang and Batang Simunjan bridges cost RM40 million each,” he disclosed, adding that the whole project started two years ago.

However, Naroden stressed that to stabilise the water pressure to reach Simunjan, there was an urgent need to build a high-level water tank either at Slabi itself or at Gedong.

“We need the high-level water tank so that there is enough pressure for the water to reach Simunjan as the distance is quite far,” Naroden said, adding that the new water supply from Gedong to Simunjan was using an 18-inch diameter water main.

He disclosed that the water connection project from Gedong to Simunjan cost RM20 million to implement. The project started last November.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/16/local-news-coming-soon-booking-minits-16-april-26/#ixzz308s6Klkl