NIBONG TEBAL: Residents of Taman Widuri here today vented their frustration about ongoing water issues to Perikatan Nasional (PN) candidate for the Sungai Bakap by-election, Abidin Ismail.
They claimed that there have been no effective solutions to end their predicaments which they have endured for years.
A representative of the unhappy lot, Mohd Hussein Abd Hamid saod that the issue persists, with taps running dry on some days and flowing inconsistently on others.
Low water pressure, he said, also caused hardship to those living on higher grounds, especially the elderly and those, who are unwell.
"In some homes, there is no water flow at all. Residents have to carry buckets of water from outside, which is causing a lot of inconvenience," he said.
Hussein hoped that the incoming elected representative will give priority to address the issue affecting residents here.
Meanwhile, Abidin said the water woes would be included in his manifesto for the July 6 by-election.
"This issue was also championed by the late assemblyman Nor Zamri Latiff. I will take on from there. I will push for the authorities to work on a solution," he said.
Asked on the proposed solution, Abidin said the Kedah government had agreed to provide water from Lubuk Buntar. He claimed the proposal had been rejected by state government without any discussions.
He said based on feedback from the state water authorities, the issues affecting Taman Widuri residents will be resolved in 2028.
"Anything can happen in the next four years," he said.
The Kedah Menteri Besar's Office recently denied that Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor's offer to sell treated water to Penang from the Lubuk Buntar Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in Kulim, which it described as a gimmick for the Sungai Bakap by-election.
Sanusi, in his speech at the launching of Perikatan Nasional's election machinery for the Sungai Bakap by-election, invited Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to negotiate with him to buy excess treated water from the Lubuk Buntar WTP.
In response, Kedah Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, who is also a former menteri besar, asserted that Sanusi should prioritised resolving the state's water supply issues first before considering to sell the resource to Penang..
Abidin is in a straight fight for the Sungai Bakap state seat with Pakatan Harapan's Dr Joohari Ariffin.
Abidin said, with two days of campaigning having gone by, he had received positive feedback from the local community of diverse background.