KUCHING: The allocation under 2020 Budget for rural water and power supply in Sarawak is insufficient, says state Utilities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.
He said Sarawak had expected a larger allocation, but this was not case as the funds had to be shared with Sabah.
“We need an additional RM900 million to achieve full rural electrification, on top of the RM2.37 billion we have allocated.”
However, he said, in the Budget announcement yesterday, RM470 million was allocated for water supply connectivity in Sabah and Sarawak, and RM500 million for electricity supply.
“There is no mention of the specific amount allocated for Sarawak.
“Hence, we are unsure how much we will be getting,” he added.
Stephen said the amount required to provide full water supply to the state’s rural areas was estimated at RM3 billion.
He said at least RM6 billion more would be required to upgrade existing water supply systems, including the water grid.
Meanwhile, out of the RM2.3 billion allocated to the federal Rural Development Ministry in the 11th Malaysia Plan, only RM700 million is approved for Sabah and Sarawak.
“Currently, the overall water supply coverage in the state is about 81.4 per cent.
“The allocation announced in the 2020 Budget is estimated to be able to increase the coverage by only 0.3 per cent.
“The allocation is therefore inadequate to increase coverage to meet the target of 99 per cent access to clean water in Sarawak,” he added.