SUBANG JAYA: With barely a day before Deepavali, residents at USJ4 had to dig deep to prepare for the festival of lights tomorrow, given Selangor's water woes.
For four days, the residents had to face water cuts and rely on tankers to distribute water supply, which had put a damper on what was supposed to be a festive atmosphere in the neighbourhood.
However today, in what USJ 4 Casablance Residents' Association President Jeyanthy Pillai had described as a "Deepavali blessing", water came trickling from her water pipes.
“The water pressure was not strong enough to allow us use the bathrooms on the second floor but we are grateful that we can finally prepare whatever we can for Deepavali which include washing our clothes, sheets and curtains, as well as the whole house.
“Due to the water cuts, I could not cook so much and only managed to make 'karamuruku' (a savoury Indian snack), which means there would be no open house here tomorrow because I would be too exhausted to prepare at the last minute!” she said and laughed heartily.
Jeyanthy told the New Straits Times that the limited water supply also prevented her from bathing the statues of deities at the pooja (worship) room which they usually do once in two weeks, until today.
“Despite the problems that came with the water crisis, we see the calamity as a blessing. It has made the community here more close-knit as we had to rely on each other more,” she said.
Jeyanthy who had been living in the area since the early 90s, said she had to keep the tap open in case the water supply came back, for fear that it would be cut again.
This was also the case at the IMC learning centre for individuals with special needs, where any Deepavali celebration programme had to be canceled.
IM founder and principal Raaginee Shalesh, 44, said this was the first time that the 14-year old centre had to halt Deepavali plans due to a water crisis.
“Every year before this, we would hold a mini festival for the students to learn more about Deepavali. We would have booths of different activities such as making muruku and coconut candy but all of these activities require a steady water supply.
“The centre also sees low attendance due to the water problem and the children's behaviour changed because their routine was disrupted. When that happens, they tend to throw tantrums because they are rigid when it comes to routines.
“If before we used to make our own muruku and allow the students to be involved, this year we had to buy ready-made ones and distribute. That is all we are doing for Deepavali,” she said.
Retiree Dr Ramesan B Pillai, 62, wished the water crises would be resolved once and for all as the problem had persisted for far too long.
“There are many senior citizens in the neighbourhood and we do not have the physical strength and energy to go back and forth to transport drums of water from the tanker to our homes. Enough is enough,” he lamented.
Dr Ramesan and her wife had to eat out more often now that water became a household issue but he had hygiene concerns when it came to the eateries in the area.
“You will never know if the food you're eating at the restaurants around here are clean or contaminated, due to the lack of water,” said Dr Ramesan who had to endure an episode of food poisoning, when met earlier today.
Dr Ramesan said he and his wife had planned to host a Deepavali breakfast but had to reduce the number of guests.
Meanwhile in Semenyih, the water woes had yet to subside which had dampened the spirit of Deepavali in the district, especially in Taman Sri Semenyih which is located on the hillside.
Bus driver Saraswathy Mariappen, 41, said the water crisis had affected her household budget and caused undue stress to her life.
“It has been two weeks that we're facing this problem and I've quarrelled with Syabas (Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd) so many times because when the tanker comes, they would stop for a very short period and the water we collect would end up to be insufficient for my family of seven.
“The problem has gotten much worse because before this, the water cuts would usually last for two or three days but two weeks is too much,” she said.
Saraswathy said Deepavali celebration for her family had to be toned down as the issue had made house chores slow-moving.
“My family had to clean most things like kitchen utensils with dampened cloths because we need water to clean ourselves too so overall, sanitation is the main concern here.
“I hope the water supply will be consistent at the soonest because I intend to invite friends and family to celebrate Deepavali at my house,” she said.