KUCHING: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof will hold a meeting with the Rural and Regional Development Ministry (KKDW) to address issues related to the Rural Water Supply (BALB) projects in Sarawak and Sabah, following concerns raised in the recent 2024 Auditor-General’s Report Series 2.

“I will review the audit report, as it is focused on Sabah and Sarawak, which are within my jurisdiction. The matter will be given top priority within KKDW to identify and promptly resolve these issues.

“Our primary objective is to ensure the timely completion of delayed projects,“ he said when met after the B2 Class My Licence Assistance Programme closing ceremony here today.

According to the Auditor-General’s Report released on July 5, inadequate management of water supply disruptions in Sarawak and Sabah has left rural residents without reliable access to clean water.

The report highlighted that the BALB projects in the two states have not met their intended objectives.

As of Oct 2023, the report indicated that 36 projects in Sarawak and Sabah, with a total cost exceeding RM1.6 billion, are still in the planning stages despite having been approved between 2016 and 2018.