Water theft leaves Dept RM14 million poorer yearly

Daily Express

22-06-2025

Published on: Sunday, June 22, 2025
Published on: Sun, Jun 22, 2025
By: Ricardo Unto Text Size: Shahelmey visits a water treatment plant. THE Sabah Water Department (JANS) recorded losses of approximately RM14 million in 2023 due to water theft from illegal pipe connections, according to Shahelmey. He said enforcement efforts have extended beyond squatter areas to commercial and industrial premises, with monitoring and surprise inspections carried out under the Sabah Water Supply Enactment 2023. 'From January to April this year, enforcement actions led to the issuance of 131 notices to domestic users, 33 to commercial premises, eight to industrial users, and two others in Tenom, including one welfare case,' he said. While public attention often focuses on enforcement in squatter settlements, where illegal lines are quickly reconnected, Shahelmey stressed that raids on businesses do take place despite perceptions to the contrary. As of April this year, 55 squatter settlements across Sabah have been identified as having multiple unauthorised pipe connections, posing a persistent challenge to enforcement. Shahelmey explained that enforcement is limited to disconnections from main pipelines, in line with the legal authority provided by the Water Supply Enactment.
Advertisement 'JANS only conducts continuous monitoring in line with its jurisdiction under EBAS 2023,' he said, in response to suggestions that monthly raids with security forces might deter theft. On the wider problem of non-revenue water (NRW), the Minister acknowledged that the level remains high across the state, with 56 per cent of treated water lost, of which 34 per cent is due to physical leakages. The State Government is funding NRW mitigation projects in six districts to address this, alongside pipe replacement works being carried out on a rolling basis. 'JANS has conducted and continues to carry out many replacement works of burst and broken pipes,' he said, noting that efforts are ongoing despite public concern over lack of visible progress. Shahelmey also confirmed that the Federal Government has been informed of the severity of the NRW issue and is supporting efforts to reduce losses through dedicated funding and programmes. 'Several Federal-funded projects have been implemented under the National NRW Programme – Phase 1 and Phase 2 – and projects under the State Development Plan are also ongoing,' he said.