13 beneficiary households now have better access to water for drinking and cooking. They do not need to walk the distance to get water from nearby streams or Bengkoka River and do not have to rely on harvesting rainwater. This also reduces the risk of waterborne diseases contracted through direct contact with polluted waters.
Kg. Tutuwon is one of the many villages in the district of Pitas that often experience extreme weather calamities such as floods or droughts. The villagers depend largely on a nearby river Sungai Bengkoka as their main water source. Unfortunately this river is gravely contaminated by chemical-laced run offs from nearby palm oil plantations. A large amount of time is spent on sourcing for clean water as the river and other natural sources are deep in the interiors. During the dry season, villagers have no choice but to spend precious money (RM1.00 for 7 litres) to buy clean drinking water from town which is an hour away.
The initial plan was to provide them with water tanks but that would only bring temporary relief during rainy season. BEST Society worked with community members to bring about a more sustainable solution. The decision was to implement gravity water system in Kg. Tutuwon through the earth’s gravity-fed. The supply came from a stream impounded within a protected catchment and pipework was done so that the water was delivered to their homes.