KOTA BARU, May 15 — The problem of getting a clean water supply which is becoming more critical in Kelantan, especially in this dry season has enabled service operators building tube wells in the state to earn a good income.

Mohd Jamil Yaakob, 34, who is more popularly known as Raja Air Boring, said the public’s demand for the services he offers has increased tremendously over the past few months.

“This year, demand for tube well drilling services has been so encouraging that we are unable to meet the needs of customers.

“Our average income, so far, is over RM10,000 per day for three tube well installations, depending on the depth and structure of the soil at the construction site,” he told Bernama, here, today.

With the rise in demand, Mohd Jamil, who started his career three years ago, has increased the number of employees to 11 people compared to just two previously.

“When I first worked as a tube well driller, I had the help of a worker and all the work was done manually and, therefore, tiring.

“After a month of work, I managed to buy an electric drill machine to help facilitate the drilling work and now I have seven multi-functional machines,” he said.

Mohd Jamil said now that he has more employees, he can take more orders including from schools, mosques and crop farms, with service fees reaching RM30,000.

He said that in certain circumstances he and his workers also carried out tube well drilling works at night to meet the growing demand.

“This includes meeting the needs of a religious school in Pasir Mas, which had to be closed for two days because there was no water supply, as well as that of several mosques,” he said.

Mohd Jamil, who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), said his interest in the service field he is currently engaged in was sparked when worked as a manager of a leading water filtration company in the state.

He said that in his dealings with customers, he found that many complained that they were facing problems getting clean water to install water filters in their homes.

From there, he saw that the service of providing clean water had great prospects and that made him determined to quit his job, although his income was very good at that time.

“Alhamdulillah, my decision was right and I consider it a ‘jackpot’ in my life when, in three years, I was able to own seven drilling machines and earn a very lucrative income,” he said.

The 34-year-old, who also holds a Diploma in Science from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), said that in addition to the service of drilling tube wells, he also provides a special boring water filter service of his design as a side income.

Mohd Jamil, who lives in Kampung Jelatok Tanah Merah, said he not only gets orders from residents in Kelantan but also from other states, including Kedah, Perak, Pahang and Terengganu.

“God willing, soon, I will increase the number of workers and drilling machines to expand my business empire in the field of providing clean water,” he said.

Kelantan has been facing critical clean water supply problems for the past few months, forcing most of the people in the state to build tube wells in their homes. — Bernama