BETONG: The Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) has submitted a proposal for the extension of a 1km pipe, spanning from Beladin to Sepinang, to enable water to be supplied up to Maludam.

For the record, the department is tasked with handling all matters related to water supply for the rural areas – a function that it took over from the Public Works Department on Sept 1 last year.

Lingga assemblywoman Simoi Peri said JBALB had just finished repairing the water pump at the Maludam plant.

“The repair works are meant to boost the water pressure in Maludam. In overcoming water shortage, the department (JBALB) has been manually supplying water to the longhouses in the area to meet the people’s needs,” she said during a dialogue on ‘Water Woes’ here yesterday, where Pusa District Officer Bujang Budin and JBALB divisional engineer Aaron Gorino were also present.

Simoi also said she would highlight this issue during the State Legislative Assembly sitting, which commences today, hoping that the relevant authority would speed up the approval process for the project.

The dialogue was conducted to explain to Maludam folk about the dry tap issue, which has been a great inconvenience to them.