Residents relieved as water returns after two-day disruption in Kota Samarahan

KUCHING (Oct 27): Residents in areas affected by the recent water disruption along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway are breathing a sigh of relief as supply has finally been restored after nearly two days.

The disruption, caused by damage to a major pipeline, had sparked frustration among the nearby residents, with many of whom had voiced their dissatisfaction on social media.

Sam Gloryan, a resident of Taman Uni Central, said he was pleased with the efforts taken to resolve the issue but remains on guard.

“I’m satisfied with the solution so far, but we’re staying cautious and have water storage prepared just in case,” he said.

However, having said that, he criticised the lack of communication from the authorities.

“No advance notice was given about the disruption within 24 hours, and there were no water tanks in our neighbourhood.

“The water trucks that did arrive were late and didn’t provide enough supply for some affected areas,” he told The Borneo Post today.

During the disruption, Sam—like many others—had to source water from unaffected areas, including petrol stations around Kuching, using bottles and pails for storage.

Another resident, Georgette Tan from Taman Central View, shared her frustration with the unexpected delay too.

“I was told water would be restored by 5pm on the first day, but when I came home at 10pm, there was still no supply,” she said.

Without access to water, she said that she resorted to using wet wipes for basic hygiene while the next day, when the water was still out, she had to go to her brother’s condominium to take a shower.

Tan added that the disruption was particularly challenging since her home relies on filtered drinking water.

“Not only did we run low on drinking water, but we also couldn’t flush the toilet,” she added.

Despite that, she acknowledged the efforts of the responsible agencies, emphasising that she was certain they did their best to resolve the issue.

“I was glad to be out most of the day, but it was frustrating not being able to handle hygiene properly when I got home, expecting to relax,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sharolyn Desion from Taman Merdang also faced difficulties, and with no water at home, she had to visit her parents in Taman Bintang, also in Kota Samarahan, to use their facilities.

“Luckily, my parents’ house wasn’t affected, even though it’s also in the Kota Samarahan area,” said Sharolyn.

As of early Sunday morning, the water supply in Kota Samarahan and other affected areas has returned to normal.

In a statement posted on Facebook at around 2am, Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd confirmed that the pipeline repair works were successfully completed shortly after midnight.

In an earlier statement, Sarawak Metro revealed that a sub-contractor had damaged a water pipe during its utility relocation works for the construction of the Blue Line of the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project.

Many consumers in Samarahan had been experiencing prolonged water shortages since Oct 25.