KUCHING (March 4):  A total of 290 residents from three villages in the Siburan district recently received water tank assistance from the Sarawak government.

Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister Dato Sri Roland Sagah, who officiated at the handing over, revealed the recipients comprise 125 residents from Kampung Subang, 101 from Kampung Begu, and 64 from Kampung Pesang.

He said these 500-gallon water tanks would enable the residents to store enough water for domestic use.

Currently, the villagers depend on gravity-feed water system which often provides insufficient  water, especially during the dry season.

“The government’s responsibility is not only to develop major infrastructure, but also to ensure basic needs such as clean water can be met, especially for rural communities that still depend on gravity-feed water system,” said Sagah, who is also Tarat assemblyman.

Meanwhile, Siburan District Officer Ranum Bari in his speech reminded the recipients to make good use of the facilities provided.

“There have been cases before where the water tanks provided were not fully used. We want to make sure this assistance truly benefits the residents,” he said.

At a separate event held recently in Balai Ringin, a total of 404 water tanks were distributed to residents in the Pantu district.

This project is implemented by the Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) with administration under the Pantu District Office for four days, starting from March 4 to 7.

According to Pantu district officer Raca Mulong, the tanks will be delivered directly to 31 villages that have been identified as the main recipients under the supervision of their respective community leaders.

“We hope that with these tanks, residents will be able to store clean water better for their daily needs, especially during the dry season or when there is a water supply disruption,” he said