SEBUYAU: A new water treatment plant with a capacity of 40 million litres per day (MLD) has been proposed here to meet rising demand for water supply in the Samarahan Division.
Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi said his ministry has identified Sungai Ular here as having sufficient raw water resources to support the construction of a larger water treatment facility in the area.
He said the move is crucial to reduce full reliance on the Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant in Kuching, which currently supplies treated water to Kuching and Samarahan, covering Muara Tuang, Asajaya, Sadong Jaya, Sebuyau, Sebangan and Simunjan.
“At present, the Batu Kitang plant is capable of producing 868 million litres of water per day, and its capacity is being upgraded to 968 million litres per day. We hope the upgrading works will be completed by October.
“Therefore, for now, we still depend on treated and clean water supply from the plant, which functions as the main or anchor plant for the Kuching and Samarahan divisions,” he said when met after officiating the Ramadan Visit and Corporate Social Responsibility Programme at Masjid Darul Aman Sebangan here today (Mar 2).
Julaihi added that the Samarahan Division currently only has small-scale water treatment plants, namely the Sungai Ular plant with a capacity of 3.2 MLD and another in Simunjan with a capacity of 5 MLD.
He said the combined capacity is clearly limited compared to the growing number of consumers, especially amid rapid development taking place throughout Samarahan.
“As such, together with my colleagues at the Ministry of Utility and Telecommunication, the Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) and Sarawak Water, we are working to identify potential locations with sufficient raw water sources to enable the construction of a new water treatment plant.
“Alhamdulillah, we have identified that the water source at Sungai Ular, Sebuyau is sufficient to support the construction of a larger plant, with the raw water intake facility located near the existing small treatment plant.
“God willing, once a final decision is made and the project is implemented, it will serve as a support system to strengthen water supply in the Samarahan Division in the long term,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, taking into account the urgent needs of residents in the area, he said the Sarawak government through the ministry, in collaboration with implementing agency JBALB, has approved the construction of a new small water treatment plant in Sebangan using the acute water system technology with a capacity of 5 MLD.
He said construction began in Nov last year and is expected to be fully completed by July next year.
“The project has gone through the tender process and is currently under evaluation by JBALB to determine the qualified contractor for appointment.
“We hope the plant will function as a support system to the supply received from the Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant in Kuching, while helping to meet the immediate needs of local residents,” he said.
