SPAOH: The Sarawak Government continues to strengthen measures to address the issue of water supply shortages following the prolonged hot and dry weather conditions affecting several areas, including the Bukit Saban area.

Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the matter was among those discussed with community leaders and village chiefs (KMKK) in the Bukit Saban area to ensure that preparedness measures and water supply assistance could be implemented effectively.

According to him, the Social Welfare Department (JKM) has played a crucial role in assisting the affected residents, with approximately 45,000 cartons of water having been distributed to several villages experiencing water supply shortages.

“The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure aid can be provided within two hours of receiving the application.

“The Resident’s Office and District Office are also involved in organising measures to ensure that the operation runs smoothly,” he said when met by the media after a meeting with the Bukit Saban KMKK on Water Issues, on Wednesday.

The Bukit Saban Assemblyman said that the need to ensure a sufficient supply of bottled water, lorries delivering water supplies and manpower is currently the focus of operations.

Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said that JKM is also planning to supply raw water to areas in need by deploying lorries and sufficient manpower to ensure that aid can be delivered to the affected residents.

Meanwhile, he said that cloud seeding efforts are also continuing as one of the measures to address the effects of drought in Sarawak, with the next operation scheduled to begin soon to help produce rain in the affected areas.

Integrated inter-agency efforts will continue to be strengthened to ensure that the affected residents receive an adequate supply of water throughout the drought. -UKASnews