Bung Moktar
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin hopes to table a solution to the water problem in Sabah to the State Cabinet this month.
The Works Minister said that he is now waiting for the report from the appointed consultant and also the proposed ‘halatuju’ for the state’s water supply which he will table to the State Cabinet.
“This is a problem that has plagued Sabahans for a long time. Governments have changed, ministers have changed but there is still no solution to the problem. Do you know that that Sabah is the only state in the country that has yet to privatise its water supply which is now under the purview of the state Water Department?
“Because of this, the Water Department suffers a loss of about RM300 million annually therefore finding a holistic solution to this problem is important. The rakyat can still forgive the government when it comes to damaged roads and disruption in the electricity supply. But they are not so forgiving when it comes to water supply (and) they will get angry,” said Bung Moktar.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Works Minister said the water supply ‘halatuju’ will include all the issues such as non-revenue water (NRW), leakages, water theft and the need to replace the old pipes throughout the state.
Bung Moktar also said that he is looking at how the state government can construct as many water reservoirs as possible throughout the state so that water supply will not suffer frequent disruptions.
The reservoirs will take over supplying water to consumers when the treatment plants in the respective areas are not functioning, he said, adding that there are 84 water treatment plants in Sabah but 23 of them are no longer functioning because the rivers where they are located are contaminated.
“We should have reservoirs for all our water treatment plants but this is not the case and all our water treatment plants are now getting the water directly from rivers,” he said.
On the water supply disruption in Bandar Sierra, Taman Rimba, Sepanggar and surrounding areas, Bung Moktar disclosed that the problem lies with the developers there, not the Public Works Department.
“We have asked the developers to provide additional water tanks but they did not, that is their responsibility,” he said and lamented that the completion of the Telibong II water treatment plant is delayed otherwise it would have eased the problem.
When asked about the water shortage in Beaufort and the proposal by the Lumadan assemblyman to divert some of the water supply from the Kampung Lawa treatment plant that is supplying water to Labuan for consumers in Beaufort, Bung Moktar said the plant’s capacity is not sufficient to supply both areas.
The water treatment plants in Limbawang, Kota Klias and Melabu are also not functioning and being repaired, he said.
Water supply in the affected areas are expected to resume within 10 days from June 1 and for the time being the Water Department will be delivering water via water tankers to the villages, he said.
“This is a heavy burden for me, the water and electricity supply as well as upkeeping of roads but I am confident that if the state government is concerned and focused on developing the state, there will be no major issues.
“The problem is when we do not understand what it is that we need to do as the government that rules the state,” said Bung Moktar.
Meanwhile on the damages to public infrastructure in the flood-stricken areas, Bung Moktar said his ministry and related departments as well as agencies are waiting for the flood water to recede so that they can make an estimate of the damages and repair costs.
“We have taken measures to ensure that damaged roads are repaired or alternative routes are opened up but before we could address the problems caused in the previous flood, we were struck by another flood which also caused damages to water treatment plants and bridges.
“We are now waiting for allocation from either the state or federal government to ensure that all the roads are repaired. Another thing I want to point out is a unique situation in Sabah where the upkeep and maintanence of some of the bridges are under the purview of local authorities, not the Public Works Department (PWD),” Bung Moktar said.
He opined that all bridges should be handed over to PWD to supervise because the people are quick to blame the department if there are any damages to the infrastructure.
“I have asked the PWD director to get the details on all the bridges in Sabah, including hanging bridges and if possible, for the department to take responsbility for all so that it will be easier for us to monitor and repair as well as ensure the safety of the bridges,” he stressed.