PETALING JAYA: The latest Auditor-General’s Report 2/2024 revealed that 94.2% of Malaysia’s septic tanks, amounting to 623,446 units scheduled for decontamination between 2021 and 2023, remain unclean.
The report stated that the sewer coverage across the country is incomplete, ranging from 62.7% to 96.6%.
States such as Kedah, Perlis, Sabah, and Kelantan reported inadequate maintenance levels in sewage treatment plants.
Moreover, 362 tank systems and 129 pump houses, constituting 11% of the total, are currently non-functional nationwide.
In Perlis, Sabah, and Kelantan, it was found that the water pressure was low, failing to meet the minimum target of 10mH, with readings ranging from 0mH to 5mH.
“Water pressure levels in Selangor, Penang, Perlis, and Kelantan fell below required standards, fluctuating between 0.4% to 14% in 2022,“ the report also stated.
It also identified delays in water quality development projects in several states, with delays ranging from 86 to 883 days, averaging 361 days in 129 projects under the National Water Services Commission nationwide, excluding Kuala Lumpur and Kelantan.
In Sabah, delays were reported in multiple water projects, including one water source development project delayed by 341 days and four water supply development projects facing delays ranging from 324 to 1,076 days across different states.
In Kedah and Kelantan, there are deficits in treated water supply reported, ranging from -0.9% to -16.8% between 2021 and 2022.
The report pointed out the country’s failure to achieve targeted water margin reserves, with Kelantan reporting a margin of 3.9% and Kedah having zero margins in 2022.
“Water consumption exceeded targeted levels in peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, surpassing the daily consumption rate per capita (LCD) set at 237, which was reduced to 190LCD by 2023,“ it stated.
Meanwhile, the report disclosed that the MyWater portal, completed in December 2022 with expenditures amounting to RM8.03 million, did not make critical data on water resources in river basins, such as existing yield information, available.
