KUALA LUMPUR: The federal government has allocated RM69.18 million in grants to Kelantan under the National Non-Revenue Water (NRW) Programme (Approach 1), to reduce the state’s NRW rate, which stood at 54.5 per cent last year.
Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, said it includes package one involving the replacement of metres to achieve more accurate NRW readings, which was completed and handed over to Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB) in March 2023.
Package two, involving the replacement and repair of water tanks, is expected to be completed in September this year.
“In line with the restructuring of the water supply industry, water operators are responsible for the construction, replacement and repair of infrastructure to ensure continuous water supply to consumers.
“However, the ministry is committed to assisting states in reducing NRW rates through NRW reduction programmes,” he said during the question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang) regarding plans and measures to solve Kelantan’s water woes.
To tackle the issue of water loss due to frequent leaks in old and dilapidated distribution pipes, Akmal Nasrullah said Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) had provided financing amounting to RM210 million to AKSB to replace the 359-kilometre-long asbestos cement pipes in Kelantan in phases.
He added that two new and three connection projects have been approved for Kelantan under the 12th Malaysia Plan, with an estimated cost of RM704.8 million, to address water supply issues in the state.
They include the construction of an off-river storage facility or Takungan Air Pinggiran Sungai (TAPS) in Machang, the construction of low weirs in Sungai Pahi and Sungai Jegor, a study on Kelantan’s water sources, and the lease of tank lorries and static tanks.
To a supplementary question from Wan Ahmad Fayhsal on when the government plans to allocate an additional RM500 million to address clean water issues in the state, Akmal Nasrullah said the ministry is waiting for the Kelantan government’s decision on the matter.
“A coordination meeting between the ministry and the state government was held in February 2024 to discuss the implementation of these projects. However, the ministry is still waiting for a decision from the Kelantan government on whether they agree to accept the RM500 million allocation as a loan, as part of our efforts to resolve the water supply issues in Kelantan.
“Commitment has been made to address water-related issues, but we want to ensure fairness regarding mechanisms. This approach is also applied in other states, and we are currently awaiting the decision of the Kelantan government,” he said.
