BRUNEI may have plenty of oil and gas, but it needs a good supply of treated water. It has asked Sarawak to channel water from nearby Miri district across the border into the sultanate.
Sarawak Public Utility and Telecommunications Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi said the Brunei government has forwarded a request to the Sarawak government on this matter. The Northern Sarawak Water Board will be tasked with handling the cross-border water supply from the Miri water treatment plant into Brunei if the deal materialises, he said at the board’s dinner gathering last night.
The text of his speech was read by board chairman Datuk Nelson Balang Rining.
Julaihi said private companies in Brunei are seeking more treated water for their operations, contributing to the pressing need in that country.
This in turn has prompted the Brunei government to ask Sarawak to help supply treated water on a daily basis.
“This is an opportunity for Sarawak to expand our water supplies into the foreign market,” Rining said.
“This will boost the revenue generated from our fresh water resources.”
The Northern Sarawak Water Board is responsible for treating and supplying piped water to the districts of Miri, Bintulu, Baram, Limbang and Lawas.
Julaihi had announced in August that the state was planning to construct new water treatment plants to meet the increasing needs.
It is uncertain how much the demand from Brunei will impact planning of new infrastructure and plants in Miri district.
Throughout Sarawak, the domestic household demand for treated piped water is surging along with the rising population and increasing socioeconomic activities.
Water distribution pipe networks are also expanding as more populated zones are being connected to the main grid in each district.
Similar situations involving increasing water needs are happening all over rural Sarawak.
Julaihi had pointed to the need for expanded infrastructure in the districts of Song and Kapit.
“For example, in the district of Song, we (state government) will have to construct a new water treatment plant with raw water treatment capacity of 20 million litres per day.
“The existing treatment plant of four million litres capacity per day is not sufficient,” he had said in August.
“In Kapit district, we will need to build a new treatment plant with a treatment capacity of 50 million litres per day.
“The existing demand of 38.5 million litres per day is surging as domestic demands keep rising constantly,” he added.
The only other country that is getting water for its population from Malaysia is Singapore.
Water from Johor has been supplied to the island nation since it separated from Malaysia in 1965. – The Vibes, December 5, 2023
