Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is accelerating the delivery of rural water supply projects through a dual-track strategy, pressing ahead with long-term infrastructure while rolling out faster alternative systems to serve remote communities and island populations sooner.
State Rural Development Minister Datuk Rubin Balang said the approach was necessary to ensure that people in the interior and island areas gain access to clean water without lengthy delays.
“People need clean water now and we cannot rely entirely on long-term projects that take years to complete,” he said following a High-Level Committee (HLC) meeting on the Implementation of Rural Water Supply (BALB) at the Ministry’s meeting room on Friday.
For short-term relief, Rubin said the State Government would expand the use of alternative systems including gravity-fed pipes, tube wells and solar-powered water pumps, solutions that can be completed within one to six months at an estimated cost of below RM3 million per project.
The HLC was established in response to a directive by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who handed over the implementation of 83 BALB projects worth RM4.06 billion to the state government.
Rubin said all BALB projects under the 11th and 12th Malaysia Plans would continue, along with projects earmarked for the upcoming 13th Malaysia Plan.
He noted that the projects currently fall into three categories: completed, ongoing, and yet to commence. He added that a number of them face challenges, including land acquisition issues and weaknesses among consultants, which have contributed to delays.
On the administrative front, Rubin said the Federal Government had also devolved authority to the State to implement projects, including high-value ones, subject to Finance Ministry approval.
“This will speed up the procurement process, contractor appointments and project implementation so that the people can benefit sooner,” he said.
