For decades, villagers in Baling, Kedah, have struggled to deal with the lack of consistent water supply as daily disruptions force them to turn to alternative means of ensuring enough water for themselves and their families.

It doesn't pay as much as it used to, but Che At Bahadun, 74, does what he can to earn a living climbing coconut trees to pick the fruit.

In Baling, a rural district in Kedah bordering Perak and Thailand, pipe water is patchy at best, and many residents are forced to depend on rivers for their water supply.