Sabah taking action to address 1,200km of ageing pipes
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said these pipes need to be replaced to address persistent leakage, but the replacement work could not be carried out all at once.
"The Sabah Water Department has plans to replace the ageing pipes, including replacing and upgrading transmission pipes in Sandakan, Keningau and Kota Kinabalu.
"Replacing all of them at once will incur very high costs. Therefore, the replacement will be done in phases," Shahelmey said in response to a supplementary question by Datuk Annuar Ayub (GRS-Liawan) during the question and answer session at the Sabah Legislative Assembly today.
Annuar had asked whether the state government planned to replace ageing pipes that frequently burst, especially in areas affected by recurring water supply disruptions due to leaks.
Shahelmey, who is Sabah public works minister, said the Sabah Water Department began appointing contractors last year to repair leaking and damaged pipes throughout Sabah.
"This is part of our effort to repair and replace damaged and leaking old pipes in several areas of Sabah."
Earlier, in response to Annuar's main question on water supply issues, Sabah Deputy Public Works Minister Datuk Limus Jury said his ministry, through the Sabah Water Department, was committed to planning and developing a sustainable water supply system for the state.
"We will ensure safe, high-quality and continuous water delivery to all users in Sabah.
"The Sabah Water Department is also committed to improving service delivery by providing efficient, professional and customer-oriented services to ensure user satisfaction."
Under Rolling Plan 5 of the 12th Malaysia Plan, with funds from the Federal Soft Loan Programme, the Sabah Water Department will implement 18 projects in the west coast, 15 in the interior, 12 in Tawau, five in Sandakan and two in Kudat.
For the 13th Malaysia Plan, the ministry will review proposals to appoint consultants to carry out feasibility studies and develop district-wide master plans across Sabah.
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