Direction of Sabah water supply management to be tabled to state cabinet this month

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Works Ministry (KKR) will table the direction of the state’s water supply management and long-term strategies to the state cabinet this month, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.

Bung Moktar who is also Sabah Works Minister, said the ministry was waiting for a full report from the appointed consultant to evaluate, detail out and determine the holistic measures to be implemented in tackling the water supply problem which had been a bane for residents.

“When the report is ready, we (KKR Sabah) will table it to the Sabah government so as to determine the direction of water supply management in the state. This is important as water supply has been a long-standing problem in Sabah,“ he said at a news conference, here, today.

Bung Moktar said Sabah’s water supply management direction would include, among others, efforts to reduce non-revenue water which was now at 57 percent due to a number of factors such as water theft, leaking pipes and pipes that were too old from the British colonial era.

He said these factors also resulted in the Sabah State Water Department incurring over RM300 million in losses each year for more than 10 years, adding that corporatisation of the department was needed to manage the state’s water supply in a more efficient, systematic and effective manner.

Bung Moktar said there was also a need to build water retention ponds as an alternative in overcoming the supply problem in the event of a water treatment plant breakdown, especially in areas often facing the problem.

On the water supply problem in Beaufort, he said a number of water treatment plants in the district broke down following floods recently and needed to be repaired, while the water supply was expected to return to normal within seven to 10 days from today.

“However, alternative measures have been taken such as delivering water supply using lorry tankers to the affected villages for the time being,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bung Moktar said KKR Sabah wanted the state’s Finance Ministry to return the power to carry out maintenance works on Municipal Council and District Council roads to his ministry.

“This is important to ensure more roads can be resurfaced and repaired with cost efficiency compared to appointing a private consultant.

“Besides that, the state’s Finance Ministry does not have the technical expertise nor sufficient engineering staff to carry out road maintenance works,” he said. — Bernama