Kuala Nerus: A long-awaited dream is finally within reach for a struggling family in Kampung Darat, Batu Rakit, as they inch closer to gaining access to a clean and consistent water supply.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Jani Yusof, 62, who is a person with disabilities (PwD), said that he and his wife, Maznah Abu Bakar, 43, have spent the past two years depending on water collected from a nearby mosque and surau, for drinking and daily needs. He said that the high cost of installing pipes had left them with no choice but to endure the embarrassment and put in the effort of collecting water, using plastic bottles salvaged from garbage bins. “I dug a well behind the house, but the water is yellow and foul-smelling. It’s unsuitable for drinking, cooking, laundry, or bathing,” he explained.

“It’s exhausting to carry water from the mosque three or four times a day. But what choice do we have? Our two young children are unable to help,” he said, when met at his residence, here, today. Jani expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the support his family received from the state Pakatan Harapan (PH), which has brought them much-needed relief.

State Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) chief, Md Asyraf Zulfadhly Md Zainudin, said that an allocation of RM10,000 had been approved by Terengganu PH chairman, Senator Mohd Hasbie Muda, for the installation of pipes and the purchase of essential items. Work to lay 310 metres of piping has already begun, and is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

“We have coordinated with Syarikat Air Terengganu Sdn Bhd (SATU). Insya-Allah, by the end of this month, Jani and his family will no longer have to endure the exhausting and burdensome task of carrying water from distant places,” he said. “With his deformed right leg and advanced age, carrying water has been a heavy burden on his health,” Md Asyraf Zulfadhly said, before presenting the family with much-needed household items, including a washing machine and an electric water heater, to help alleviate their daily struggles.