KOTA KINABALU: Sabah continues to improve its water services despite the fact that the state has yet to receive a RM320 million allocation from the federal government.
Deputy Chief Minister and Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Shahelmey Yahaya said a technical committee has already had two meetings to fine tune the guidelines on channelling the money, the allocation of which had been approved by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last month.
"However, at the state level, we are still working on stabilising water supply, which I think people in Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran and Putatan (are benefitting from already)," he told the media after the launching of the Public Works Ministry's Integrity Week.
Last month, Putajaya allocated the money to address short term solutions for Sabah's water issues which will cover 20 projects in nine districts in the state.
Those districts are Putatan, Tuaran, Papar, Beaufort, Keningau, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Sandakan and here.
It has been reported that the fund would be used to reduce non-revenue water (NRW) and also to replace old pipes and water pumps at various water treatment plants.
As for the Telibong II water plant, which is to cater to increasing water demand in the west coast, Shahelmey said he was hopeful that the physical work can start this year.
When completed, the plant would provide an additional 80 million litres of water to the state capital daily.
Meanwhile, when asked about the possibilities for motorists to claim damage compensation due to poor road conditions, Shahelmey said that they could do so by lodging police reports and through court proceedings.