SABAH’S treated water supply challenges stem not from the lack of resources but a combination of issues linked to climate change and delays in project implementation, said Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmy Yahya.
Shahelmy who is also Sabah’s Public Works Minister dismissed the characterisation of the water problem as a crisis, stating that the shortage could have been resolved with careful planning and timely execution of projects.
“I would say that calling the water supply problem a crisis would be extreme. Sabah consumers are facing a shortage right now due to climate change and delays in the implementation of programmes to deal with the problem.
“If we could lower non-revenue water (NRW) to less than 35% and implement projects like the Papar Dam, then Sabah would have a stable supply of water over the next two or three decades,” he told reporters during a visit to the Limbahau Water Treatment Plant in Papar today.
A slew of factors including water theft and damage to pipes saw over half of the state’s water production go to waste, with the state declaring NRW at approximately 50 per cent.
Water theft only accounts for 10 percent of the overall figures and the Sabah Government believes it was due to the factories and plantations.
Other than the impacts of climate change, Shahelmy also said state water planning also takes into account the local economic activities such as cash crop cultivation which he revealed changed the natural water catchments and affected water resources.
The Putatan MP said the state is also considering the vendor scheme or the bulk meter system to deal with the squatter colonies where water theft was also notably rampant.
He said the approach was already showing results after the Sabah Water Department moved to disconnect illegal pipe connections and introduced the scheme in Kampung Brunei, Sepanggar in Kota Kinabalu.
He added the department has been able to recover up to 10 million litres per day back into the system since the move was carried out and that plans are now afoot to expand it to three more squatter areas. - The Vibes, March 27, 2024
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