Latest news with #NoraAhmad
Daily Express
9 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Express
Power rationing in Sabah, Labuan from August 1 to 7
Published on: Thursday, July 31, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 31, 2025 By: Nora Ahmad Text Size: Mohd Yaakob said in light of the new developments, a meeting with Petronas has been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to propose a postponement until generation capacity is stabilised. Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd is hoping that Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) will postpone its scheduled maintenance works at the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT) to avoid the implementation of large-scale electricity rationing, which is expected to affect around 600,000 domestic users in Sabah and Labuan. Sabah Electricity Chief Executive Officer Datuk Ir Ts Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said the rationing is currently planned to take place over seven days, from this Friday until Aug 7, on a rotational basis across the State and Labuan. 'Initially, we anticipated no disruption to electricity supply as we had already discussed the matter with Petronas and the Sabah Energy Commission (ECoS) earlier this year. 'The original plan was to manage the period using diesel fuel. However, based on information we received yesterday (Tuesday), it turns out the facility cannot operate on alternative fuel. As a result, the grid will lose about 195 Megawatts (MW) of generating capacity over the seven-day period,' he told a press conference at the Sabah Electricity headquarters, here, Wednesday. Mohd Yaakob said in light of the new developments, a meeting with Petronas has been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to propose a postponement until generation capacity is stabilised. 'This step is necessary and crucial to maintain the stability and integrity of Sabah's electricity supply system. 'If the maintenance work can be postponed, it will provide much-needed relief for the people of Sabah. 'This is because the power rationing will impact users across Sabah and Labuan during that period, particularly during peak hours between 10am and 10pm. The outages will occur in one- to two-hour rotations,' he said. He added that Sabah Electricity will work closely with all relevant parties, especially independent power producers (IPPs), ECoS and other stakeholders, to continuously monitor the situation and implement any necessary measures to minimise supply disruptions to consumers. 'The public can obtain information about the locations and timing of power rationing through the Sabah Electricity Facebook page and mobile application,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Express
SE urges SOGT maintenance postponement to avoid major power cuts
Published on: Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 30, 2025 By: Nora Ahmad Text Size: Mohd Yaakob and others at the press conference. KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Electricity (SE) has requested Petronas to postpone scheduled maintenance at the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT) to avoid large-scale electricity rationing affecting around 600,000 domestic users in Sabah and Labuan. SE Chief Executive Officer Datuk Mohd Yaakob Jaafar said the planned rotation-based rationing is expected to run from this Friday until 7 August across the state and Labuan. He explained that initial arrangements had anticipated no supply disruption, following earlier discussions with Petronas and the Energy Commission of Sabah (Ecos). However, he said new information received on Tuesday revealed that the system could not operate on alternative fuel as expected, potentially reducing grid capacity by 195 Megawatts for seven days. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Mohd Yaakob said further talks with Petronas would be held later in the day to explore the possibility of delaying the maintenance until capacity stabilises. He added that postponing the works would help ease the situation, as scheduled outages would otherwise affect users during peak hours from 10am to 10pm, lasting one to two hours each time. SE will continue working closely with IPPs, Ecos and other stakeholders to monitor the situation and reduce any inconvenience to consumers, with updates available on SE's Facebook page and app. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
24-07-2025
- General
- Daily Express
25,000 Putatan folks hit by prolonged water cut
Published on: Thursday, July 24, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 24, 2025 By: Nora Ahmad Text Size: Kg Merutum residents getting water from a truck sent there by Kanny. PUTATAN: Some 25,000 residents in the district have been experiencing water supply disruption for the past month, severely affecting their daily routines, including bathing, cooking and cleaning. The most affected areas include Kampung Lok Kawi, Kampung Meruntum, Kampung Pasir Putih, Kampung Petagas, Kampung Ketiau and Kampung Muhibbah, with some residents having to source water externally, either by buying from private water trucks or bottled water. Sabah Perikatan Nasional (PN) Youth Exco Kanny Chew Ly Choi @ Adamz urged the State Water Department to address the water prolonged supply disruption by taking concrete action. 'A prolonged water supply disruption is a major inconvenience for the people. 'We, the Sabah PN Youth, strongly urge the Water Department to act immediately and find an effective solution,' he told reporters, Wednesday. As a temporary measure to assist residents while waiting for a comprehensive solution from the authorities, Chew said he had arranged for water tanker deliveries to Kampung Meruntum. 'Kampung Meruntum is one of the areas without water supply. We've stepped in to help as much as we can, but this is not a real solution. 'This issue requires serious intervention and swift action by the responsible authorities,' he said. He called for both short-term and long-term solutions to be implemented without delay. 'Such measures are necessary to ensure the people are not continually burdened by a problem that could have been prevented.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
23-07-2025
- Daily Express
Call for transparent probe into tragedy
Published on: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 23, 2025 By: Nora Ahmad, Sherell Jeffrey Text Size: Kota Kinabalu: Srikandi Bersatu Sipitang Head Dayang Syafiqah Abdul Hamid wants an independent investigation carried out into the death of a teenager in Papar who is widely suspected to be a victim of bullying. Syafiqah who is also a Sabah youth activist called for the setting up of a special task force involving the police, Attorney General's Department, Ministry of Education and non-governmental organisations to conduct a transparent investigation without protection for any party involved. 'I express condolences to the family of Zara Qairina, a former SK Pantai Sipitang pupil,' she said in a statement. "This should never happen in any educational institution. "This is not an ordinary disciplinary issue. This is a crime and must be treated as such,' said Syafiqah who is also Sabah Imam Deputy Chairperson. She urged the Government to expedite the drafting of comprehensive anti-bullying legislation that would define bullying in all its forms namely physical, verbal, emotional, cyber and power-based while establishing progressive punishments ranging from counselling to imprisonment. She noted that currently, Malaysia lacks specific anti-bullying laws, with cases handled under various provisions including the Penal Code, Children Act 2001 and Education Act 1996. This legal gap, according to Syafiqah, causes many cases to not be taken seriously. She also called for stricter school and hostel safety protocols, regular independent audits, mandatory training for educators and staff and the deployment of psychologists in every district. "The time has come to stop the culture of silence and protecting perpetrators. "Our education system should educate, not oppress,' she said. The incident sparked various reactions and public concern, including allegations of bullying at the school with individuals sharing testimonies of parents whose children had previously attended the school. One netizen claimed some parents decided to transfer their children to other schools because of the bullying incidents. Among the disclosures was an allegation that the bullying incident was only discovered several months after it occurred and that the matter was reported to the school management. However, that it was not pursued due to the victim's inconsistent testimony caused by the trauma experienced. In another post, a mother claimed that her child cried and shared the experiences they had while staying in the dormitory. The allegations included being forced to sleep on the floor, receiving punishments, being ordered to wash senior students' dishes and fetching water from the ground floor of the building. The mother said her child was too scared to speak up to the wardens or their parents as they were worried about how the other students might react. She said her child became more withdrawn and lost their usual spark every time they had to go back. This worried the family so much that they decided it was best to transfer the child to another school. The same individual uploaded a screenshot of a message from the mother of the student involved, stating that she would not forgive those who caused suffering to her child. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
19-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Frustrated over water shortage despite new plant running
Published on: Saturday, July 19, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jul 19, 2025 By: Nora Ahmad Text Size: Shahelmey said once Phase 2 of the Telibong 2 Water Treatment Plant project is completed, water can be channelled to the Inanam and Sepanggar areas. PUTATAN: Sabah Public Works Minister Datuk Ir Shahelmey Yahya expressed frustration over continued water supply disruptions in Putatan and city areas despite the new Kasigui Water Treatment Plant having begun producing treated water for both areas. Shahelmey, who is also a Deputy Chief Minister, said the Kasigui plant has a capacity of five million litres per day, but is currently only producing three to four million litres. Advertisement 'I'm personally quite disheartened. The new plant is already operational. I'm asking myself why the additional treated water still hasn't reached users. 'I instructed the State Water Department to investigate and they found the problem lay in the distribution network,' he told reporters after presenting awards to top 2024 STPM students, here, Friday. He said the situation which has impacted residents as well as five-star hotels and shopping malls is being addressed in stages. It was learnt that one hotel in KK had to resort to providing bottled water for guests to bathe. 'I received a flood of complaints last Monday. The moment I turned on my phone in Kuala Lumpur, they came pouring in. 'I immediately contacted JANS (department), and they found the disruptions were due to technical issues, including burst pipes, trapped air in pipelines and limited pump capacity.' Shahelmey said once Phase 2 of the Telibong 2 Water Treatment Plant project is completed, water can be channelled to the Inanam and Sepanggar areas. 'This will free up supply from the Moyog and Kasigui plants, which currently serve those areas, to be redirected to Kota Kinabalu and Putatan. 'As for the hotels, low pressure is due to their locations at the tail end of the distribution system. However, I was informed today that one hotel is satisfied with the current recovery plan.' He said strict monitoring is ongoing, and the government has implemented short-term contingency plans, including deploying water tankers to areas with low pressure. 'The recovery plan is being refined to ensure more efficient water distribution. God willing, we aim to resolve this issue within the week,' he said. When told that the water crisis is being exploited by the opposition ahead of the Sabah elections, Shahelmey urged for fairness. 'I'm confident that once the Telibong Phase 2 piping is fully installed, we will see a more stable water supply. Based on current projections, disruptions should be significantly reduced.' He acknowledged several ongoing challenges, including ageing infrastructure and water thefts. 'I remain confident we'll see a significant improvement by the end of this month. 'Constructive criticism is valid, but when people use AI-generated videos to smear the government, it damages not only the current administration's image but also the reputation of Sabah.' He the Government is working hard to address water issues which stemmed from legacy problems rather than the current administration's failings. 'These are the result of delays in past water infrastructure projects. We're now working to resolve them gradually,' he said. Sabah courts have also yet to conclude the state's longest and worst corruption scandal involving the State Water Department which is into its 18th year where an elaborate scheme involving then state ministers under Barisan Nasional and top department officials saw up to RM130 million meant for resolving water issues being pocketed. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
