Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah
GUA MUSANG: Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa) has denied the allegations made by Tan Sri Annuar Musa that the water problem in the district was caused the department's failure to maintain the provided water treatment system.
Jakoa in a statement today said Annuar's allegations was inaccurate.
"For everyone's information, a total of 109 Orang Asli villages in Gua Musang has a water supply system, out of which, three villages use tap water system, 16 villages use tubewell or boring (underground water) and 90 villages use gravity (river).
"Throughout the 12th Malaysia Plan, about RM25 million have been allocated for new construction works and repair of water treatment system.
"Apart from that, about RM5 million were spent on contract maintenances," it said.
The water supply issue in these Orang Asli villages stems from limited water source apart from polluted water sources.
This problem occurs not only in Orang Asli villages but also throughout Kelantan, said the statement. It is stated that this is due to the lack of catchment area that can channel rain water to the surrounding areas.
This is the result from logging activities and the uncontrolled opening of farms and the lack of control over water pollution in the Kelantan river, it stated.
Nevertheless, it stated said Jakoa is still trying to provide other alternatives of water supply sources for the Orang Asli community in Gua Musang such as developing a tubewell (underground water source) through strategic cooperation with related agencies such as the Department of Minerals and Mines as well as local universities.
Annuar who is Perikatan Nasional operations director for Nenggiri by-election in a ceramah in Renok here last night claimed that Jakoa was responsible for the water problem faced by the Orang Asli in Gua Musang.