KUALA LUMPUR: The increased allocation for the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry (KATS) in the 2020 Budget illustrates the government‘s seriousness in preserving the country’s natural resources, said its Minister, Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar.
In a statement today, Xavier said next year’s allocation of RM4.8 billion, a 19.4 per cent increase from 2019’s budget, will further facilitate his ministry’s work in providing quality services to the people.
He said that of the RM4.8 billion, RM1.3 billion will be used for management, while RM3.5 billion will go towards development.
“Among KATS’ main focus under the 2020 Budget is to ensure that clean water is provided to rural areas.
“For this, over RM580 million will be used to provide access to clean water for residents in Felda areas, as well as in Sabah and Sarawak.
“Aside from that, RM443.9 million will be allocated for flood mitigation plans and RM150 million for the maintenance of existing flood reserve pools,” he said.
Xavier added that another RM48 million will go towards preserving the nation's pristine forests and biodiversity. Out of this sum, RM10 million will be used as matching grants against private sector contributions towards conservation and biodiversity initiatives such as the Central Forest Spine, the Heart of Borneo, and the rehabilitation of degraded forests.
To conserve the dwindling wildlife population – especially of Malayan tigers – and protect the nation's rainforests, Xavier said that RM15 million will be allocated towards the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MyCat), the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, and other NGOs.
There are currently fewer than 200 Malayan tigers left in the wild, and it has been estimated that there are about 11,000 orangutans left nationwide.
“To protect our flora and fauna better, RM20 million will be provided to employ more forest rangers among retired soldiers and local Orang Asli communities who know their lands the best,” he said.
The Kuala Langat Member of Parliament also said that the government will finance Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiatives with the allocation of a matching fund of RM10 million towards a joint government-United Nations SDG fund.
“In addition, the government will allocate RM5 million to support the convening of Parliamentary Select Committee meetings, and also for greater engagement by Members of Parliament with civil society, including to address Sustainable Development Goals at the local level,” he added.