Latest news with #SabahWaterSupplyEnactment2023
Borneo Post
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Replace Water Department with new professional water body - Yong
Yong Teck Lee KOTA KINABALU (July 19): Former Chief Minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee has called for the total replacement of the entire Sabah Water Department with a new Sabah water statutory body. He said it has become necessary because it has become increasingly evident that the basic cause of the water supply problems in Sabah is the Sabah Water Department itself. 'Sabah has ample water resources, from our rivers, from rain and even the sea. Over the decades, billions have been spent on water supply. We even have a Sabah Water Supply Enactment 2003 that confers extensive powers to this important government department. Yet, we have been unable to solve this most basic utility called water that is needed for daily livelihood,' he said in a statement on Saturday. Yong said at a pre-council session of Sabah assemblypersons in April 2023 the Chief Minister (who chaired the meeting) was visibly upset about the perennial water supply problems. The current Minister of Public Works had just been appointed to the portfolio. 'At that pre-council meeting, I said that the minister should not rely on the Sabah Water Department for solutions because the problem is the Sabah Water Department. The minister and the Chief Minister must look and search beyond the Water Department for solutions because there are viable and cost-effective solutions. 'The Chief Minister sounded stressed by the stubborn persistence of water supply problems. I don't know whether my voice was heard or whether my views were heeded. I have done my research. As a successful plaintiff in the Water Department case of 2019, I have done extensive research on the notorious Water Department and its decades of failures. It is really getting ridiculous when the minister himself had to instruct (as reported) the Water Department to investigate why, even after the new Kasigui water treatment plant with an additional five million litres per day, there is still a shortfall in water supply in Putatan and Kota Kinabalu. 'The Water Department then found that the problem was the distribution network. First of all, the Water Department need not have waited for ministerial instructions before taking action. Secondly, the distribution and pipes problems have been known for many years. The Water Department was not formed yesterday. The Sabah Water Supply Enactment 2023 was enacted 22 years, that is one generation of Sabahans ago!' he said. Moving forward, Yong said the replacement of the Water Department will involve an amendment to the Water Supply Enactment 2003 by the dissolution of the Water Department and reconstitute a professional body. 'There are many good, conscientious professional water engineers and administrators in Sabah who can do a much better job than the Water Department. The new water supply statutory body can be led by tough professionals and with proven administrators who come with a mission and passion to finally solve Sabah's water supply problems. The ball is now in the court of the Sabah Government,' he added.
Daily Express
22-06-2025
- Daily Express
Water theft leaves Dept RM14 million poorer yearly
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.
