KOTA KINABALU: The RM320 million allocation from the Federal Government to resolve water woes in Sabah is expected to be utilised in July, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
"The allocation of RM320 million has been approved; however, there are management requirements for several ministries, including the Economy Ministry and the ministry in charge of water supply.
"In a mid-month meeting on April 20, the honourable prime minister, who chaired the meeting of development programmes, directed that the procurement be carried out before the final approval of the Note of Change (NOC).
"After getting the tender process, when the NOC is approved, it could be immediately executed this July. We have waited for so long," he said after the ground-breaking of a project under the Urgent Water Supply Scheme (UWSS) at the Kasigui Water Treatment Plant near here.
On June 1 last year, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced the Federal Government had granted RM320 million to the state to carry out short-term plans in resolving water woes.
On February this year, Shahelmey, who is also state public works minister, said the funds would be used to implement six programmes involving 20 projects, which included nine projects under the district plans for Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, Putatan, Papar, Beaufort, Keningau, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Sandakan.
It would also address the issue of non-revenue water, which stood around 50 per cent.
On the UWSS project, he said it was a short-term plan to cater to a water demand of five million litres per day (MLD) for about 25,000 residents in Putatan area.
The Kasigui Water Treatment Plant has been operating beyond its original capacity of 50 MLD, which is now approaching 54 MLD.
Another initiative is to upgrade the Kasigui plant to increase its capacity by 10 MLD, which is pending for NOC approval and expected to start by the end of this year.
"The long-term plan is the building of Papar dam or (through) ongoing upper padas dam. If it (the Papar dam) could be started soon, it would supply enough capacity until 2050.
"However, we are still finalising some technical issues and we are hoping it could start in the near future."
Earlier, Shahelmey, who is Putatan member of parliament, also said that Jetama, which is a state government-linked company, would donate 10 units of mobile drinking water system to provide clean water supply to the interior.
Present were State Assistant Public Works minister Datuk Limus Jury, Penampang district officer Francis Chong and Jetama's chief executive officer Ahmad Naim Uddang.