THE water supply issues faced by Kelantan folks can be a thing of the past if UMNO wins the forthcoming state election, said party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
According to the Bagan Datuk MP, UMNO and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s pledge to the state is to resolve the water supply woes, and Kelantan voters have the power to help UMNO fulfil its pledge.
“Give UMNO five years, and if you don’t like it, you can change it the next time. We just need five years to prove that we can supply clean water to the people in the state,” Zahid said during a press conference after the introduction of state UMNO election candidates for the 2023-2026 term in Kota Bharu, Kelantan today (March 15).
Kelantan UMNO chief Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub was also among the attendees.
Zahid went on to say that instead of blaming muddy water on an “act of God” politicians should strive to provide clean water to the people.
The dirty water supply has been a long-standing issue in PAS-led Kelantan, triggering locals to introduce the term ‘air karat’ (rusty water) to condemn the state administration.
Among the excuses given for the problem are the 40-year-old pipes used by the state’s water authority Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB), which resulted in non-revenue water and an extremely poor-quality water supply.
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah announced at the end of 2021 that the state government would construct a huge reservoir to address the issue.
Previously, former environment and water minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man discussed a RM1.3 bil riverside water reservoir project called Takungan Air Pinggiran Sungai (TAPS) or riverside water reservoir project.
However, Kelantan’s water crisis remains unresolved up to this day. – March 15, 2023
Main pic credit: ISMAweb
