KOTA KINABALU: Reducing non-revenue water (NRW) should be the immediate focus in Sabah’s water sector reforms, as high system losses continue to limit overall supply efficiency.
Speaking during a plenary session at the Plumbing Asia 2026 Conference & Expo here, Saturday, industry experts said a significant portion of treated water is still not reaching consumers, pointing to the need to prioritise system improvements alongside expanding supply capacity.
Sabah Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (Acem) Past Chairman Fung Yin Khun said NRW levels in Sabah remain above acceptable benchmarks despite recent improvements.
He said NRW has declined from over 60 per cent previously to about 45 per cent in Kota Kinabalu, but remains around 55 per cent in Sandakan and Tawau. The figures are higher than the national average of about 36 per cent, while a well-performing system typically targets around 25 per cent.
“NRW is essentially water loss, and reducing it requires sustained monitoring, leak detection and infrastructure upgrades,” he said.
Fung noted that ageing pipelines, some more than 50 years old, continue to contribute to leakage, with outdated materials such as AC pipes still in use.
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He added that Sabah’s water demand currently exceeds supply, with demand estimated at about 1,600 megalitres per day, compared to available supply of around 1,480 megalitres.
Despite this, he said increasing supply alone would not resolve the issue, as losses within the system remain substantial.
“Every litre we produce, only about half reaches the consumer, so both the source and the system must be addressed together,” he said.
Fung said challenges vary across districts, with Greater Kota Kinabalu facing distribution imbalances in end-line areas such as Putatan.
He added that projects such as the Kogopon water supply scheme are expected to improve supply distribution once completed.
In Sandakan, he said supply is available but limited by insufficient reservoir connectivity, while Tawau is undergoing upgrades, including a new dam and the Cinta Mata II system.
He said these developments are expected to improve reliability in the next one to two years.
Beijing Waterworks Group Co, Ltd Technical Research Institute Director Prof Li Yu Xian said stable water supply depends on both treatment processes and distribution systems.
Speaking in Mandarin, she said water quality must first be ensured at the treatment plant level before being delivered through the network.
“The stability of water supply depends first on the water treatment plant, which is the source, and secondly on the distribution network,” she said.
She shared that Beijing manages a large-scale system supplying about seven million cubic metres of water daily through nearly 50 treatment plants and a pipeline network of about 17,000 kilometres.
Yu Xian said maintaining consistency across such a system requires continuous monitoring of water quality, pressure and flow.
This is achieved through the use of sensors and integrated monitoring technologies that track performance from treatment plants to distribution networks.
Such approaches, she said, help maintain water quality and ensure reliability throughout the system.
Experts said similar monitoring systems could support Sabah’s efforts to improve efficiency, particularly in identifying and reducing leakages.
They noted that entry-level solutions such as district metering areas offer a practical and cost-effective starting point for managing NRW.
Sabah Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Past Chairman Lee Tet Fon said stronger coordination between government and industry is necessary to ensure effective implementation of water infrastructure plans.
He said developers, engineers and private sector stakeholders must work closely with policymakers to align projects with broader planning objectives.
“There must be continuous dialogue so that policies can be conveyed clearly and implemented effectively on the ground,” he said.
Lee also highlighted sustainable measures such as rainwater harvesting and “sponge city” elements, including porous pavements and rooftop gardens, to improve water management.
He said such approaches can be incorporated at development level to complement larger infrastructure efforts.
The panel agreed that Sabah’s water challenges require a balanced approach combining infrastructure investment, system improvement and technology adoption.
They said reducing NRW remains the most immediate step in strengthening the State’s water supply system.
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