KUALA LUMPUR: The National Water Services Commission (Span) has taken measures to address the delays in the upgrading of sewage treatment plants across the country.
This comes after the Auditor General's Report 2/2024 found that water pollution primarily attributed to discharges from these treatment plants.
Span said it has appointed the national sewerage company, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK), to implement the upgrade works on 636 sewage treatment plants nationwide.
"This initiative, which began on Nov 13, 2020, aims to comply with the Environmental Quality (Sewage) Regulations 2009 and involves a total cost of RM142.8 million.
"During the audit activities and site visits conducted from 2022 to early 2023, delays were recorded in 129 project locations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic followed by the movement control order.
"This caused difficulties in importing mechanical and electrical equipment, rising costs of construction materials and equipment, and labour shortages," it said in a statement.
Span said it and IWK have taken immediate steps to address these delays and expedite project progress to prevent ongoing impacts.
"The current project completion status stands at 98.5 per cent, with 609 locations fully completed.
"The remaining 27 locations are expected to be finished by October 2024.
"Span will continue to closely monitor the completion of the remaining projects to ensure they are completed on schedule, providing significant benefits to sewerage service users and ensuring the sustainability of water resources and the environment."