Bung Moktar inspects the work on upgrading the road that links Universiti Malaysia Sabah to the traffic intersection at Indah Permai.
KOTA KINABALU: Works Minister Dato Sri Bung Moktar Radin said the shortage of water supply experienced by residents of several villages in Sepanggar is due mainly to rampant water theft.
He said illegal pipe installations have reduced the water pressure, thus he urged the Water Department and other agencies involved in monitoring the situation to take proactive action and cut the illegal connections.
He also said the illegal connections have resulted in the government losing millions of ringgit.
Bung also asked the chairman of the Village Development and Security committee to create a special committee to compile data of villagers with water meters.
He said the aim is to identify the illegal water connections and warn the perpetrators that action will ensue if they do not apply for their own water meter.
Meanwhile, Bung urged the contractor upgrading the road that links Universiti Malaysia Sabah to the traffic intersection at Indah Permai to speed up their work.
He said this was because road users have been facing road congestion due to the construction work, particularly during peak hours.
Bung, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister said the contractor has fulfilled only 55 percent of the work, while the target set by the Public Works Department is 60 percent.
The road upgrade consists of adding two additional lanes to the road, making it into a six-lane highway, as well as the construction of a flyover at Kingfisher, UMS, Rampayan and Indah Permai.
“We comprehend the Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed as well as the alteration of piping systems are among the reasons for the delay, but we hope that the contractor can speed up the construction work during the MCO as there are less vehicles using the road. This will also reduce the road congestion during peak periods,” he said when visiting the construction site today.
Also present were Works Ministry’s permanent secretary, Mohd Jasmin Julpin, PWD director Ali Ahmad and Water Department director, Edward Lingkapo and representatives from the developer’s company.
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