KUCHING: The state government has approved an allocation of RM1.08 billion to replace and upgrade 2,740 kilometres (KM) of pipelines across the state in an effort to improve water supply infrastructure.
Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi said that the rusted and unusable pipes have led to significant water leakage issues, prompting the government to take the initiative to replace and upgrade them in selected areas.
“We are currently in the Rampangi area, one of the selected locations where Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) is carrying out a pipeline replacement and repair of old pipelines project in Sarawak.
“We have found that some of these old pipelines are over 40 years old, and as we heard earlier, they are rusted.
“The rusted pipes, which can no longer be used, have caused water leakage. This is why the Sarawak government has taken the initiative to replace and upgrade them in selected areas,” he said.
He said this when met by reporters during his official working visit to the Rampangi I and II Scheme Pipe Replacement Project site in the Kuching Division at Jalan Sungai Buah, Rampangi, today.
He explained that the five-year plan involves 461 pipeline replacement and upgrading projects across Sarawak, managed by key agencies: JBALB with 420 projects (RM588 million), Kuching Water Board (KWB) with 12 projects (RM267 million), Sibu Water Board (SWB) with eight projects (RM170 million) and Laku Management Sdn Bhd with 21 projects (RM90 million).
“Across Sarawak, there are a total of 461 pipeline replacement and upgrading projects to be carried out over a five-year period, starting from last year and continuing for the next five years.
“In other words, we have already begun the replacement process across the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said that for the entire Kuching division, JBALB is managing 24 projects spanning 59 km, with a total value of RM17.6 million.
“However, if we focus on the specific location where we were that day, the project in Rampangi involves a cost of RM1.5 million. In the Pantai Damai area, we have identified three locations as Kampung Rampangi Skim, Buntal, and Kampung Santubong.
“The project in this area, worth RM1.6 million, started in November and has a six-month timeline, with completion expected by May.
“This project is already over 60 per cent ahead of schedule,” he said.
He hoped that replacing these old leaking pipes would help reduce the issue of Non-Revenue Water (NRW) caused by leakage.
“Additionally, we hope this will improve water pressure. When pipes leak, it reduces pressure, which affects water flow to consumers. By fixing this, water flow will improve and reach the intended users efficiently,” he said.
