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Water source for over 2,000 K'tan villagers feared to be contaminated
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Over 2,000 residents in three villages near Pulai Chondong in Machang, Kelantan are worried that the spring water which had been their source of water supply for the past 30 years, is no longer safe as the water has been polluted.

Although water in the storage tanks has been treated, they fear that the drought and monsoon seasons may negatively affect water quality bringing various health threats including outbreak of rat urine disease.

In view of this, the residents of Kampung Bukit Kecil, Bukit Besar and Batu Berdiri hope that the Health Department will inspect the source of the water and monitor the situation in the area.

A resident of Kampung Dewan Kecil, Mohd Korbi Zakaria, 45, said the residents in the village had been relying on the spring water for daily use including for cooking and drinking.

"Although we have never suffered any illnesses due to the water, we now have higher risk of contracting water-borne diseases.

Another resident Mohd Ismail Jusoh, 50, from Kampung Dewan Besar, hoped the Health Department would install water filters at the catchment areas to ensure the cleanliness of the water.

"We prefer the spring water because the flow rate is much faster and the odour is not as bad as water from the tube wells.

Meanwhile, Pulai Chondong Pakatan Harapan chairperson Kamaruddin Kadir said state Health Department officers have carried out regular inspections at the catchment areas including checking on the pipelines.

He added that a 15km pipeline had also been installed to channel water directly to the 700 homes in the three villages.

Meanwhile Kelantan Health Department director Dr Zaini Hussin when contacted, admitted that water from the catchment areas could not be guaranteed to be clean, due to the presence of rubber smallholdings in the area.

He said the installation of water filters would not solve the water pollution problem as the pollution was brought about by agricultural activities.

However Dr Zaini said the department has applied for an allocation from the Rural Development Ministry to enable them to install the water filters, as requested by the residents.

- Bernama

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