SEMPORNA: The island residents here are hoping for the Federal Government to emphasise the development of basic facilities on their islands in the 2023 Budget, which will be tabled this Oct 7.
Head of the Pulau Larapan Community, Saidun Sarabal, 47, hoped the Federal Government would consider providing allocation for a clean water supply project for the more than 2,000 residents on the island.
“Our problem is that there is no clean water supply. We have been relying on rainwater. If there is no rainwater, we have to go to Semporna town to buy clean water.
“The trip (two way) costs us RM40 (for fuel) and for RM30 of water supply, it is only enough for two days,” he said.
A resident on Pulau Sumandi, Abdul Ali Abdul, 44, also hoped the water woes on the island, which has a population of about 1,000 people, would be resolved under the 2023 Budget with the provision of allocation for the building of water tanks and wells.
“Like other island residents in the area, we rely on rainwater for our water supply. If there is no rainwater, we have to go to Semporna town to buy water and that is only for cooking purposes,” he said.
Another resident of Pulau Sumandi, Madrasah Abdul, 29, hoped the existing wooden bridge that was built about 10 years ago to link the houses in the water village could be replaced with a better bridge.
“...some parts of the (wooden) bridge are waiting for the time to collapse, we hope the Government will pay attention to the problems facing us,” he said.
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