KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Economy has approved an additional allocation of RM100 million to resolve water supply issues in Sabah, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the approval was obtained after the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation applied for a cost realignment following the Cabinet’s approval on Sept 27, 2023, which allocated RM300 million as a loan to address the issue.
“In line with this decision, four new projects costing RM200 million have been approved under the Fourth Rolling Plan (RP4) of the 12th Malaysia Plan for short-term solutions to water supply issues in Sabah.
“The Sabah government has also been allocated RM163.55 million under RP4 for water connection projects. For long-term solutions, the Sabah government can apply (for allocations) under the next rolling plan based on project planning and requirements,” Fadillah said during the question and answer session.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) about the federal government’s assistance to the Sabah government for short- and long-term solutions to water problems in the state.
Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said the ministry will ensure that the approved projects are regularly monitored by the responsible agencies through site visits and meetings.
To a supplementary question from Bung Moktar regarding the government’s effort to address the issue comprehensively, Fadillah emphasised that the current focus of government allocations is primarily on repairing and replacing water pipes.
“One of the challenges in Sabah is the high non-revenue water (NRW) level, exceeding 50 per cent. That is why our priority is to replace the pipes, which will be done through grants and implemented jointly with Sabah.
“We hope this will reduce NRW, but at the same time, Sabah needs to take action to reduce NRW, especially water stolen from their water supply sources,” he said.-Bernama
