KUCHING: The Tebedu area has been identified as having sufficient raw water resources to enable the construction of a new water treatment plant, which will serve as a backup to the Slabi Water Treatment Plant in the Serian Division.
Minister for Utilities and Telecommunications Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi said the construction of the new water treatment plant in Tebedu is crucial as a contingency measure, given that the Slabi Water Treatment Plant currently has the capacity to produce up to 110 million litres of treated and clean water per day.
He said the initiative is part of broader planning to expand water supply coverage to other rapidly developing areas, not only focused on Kuching but also involving Samarahan and Serian.
“However, some areas in Samarahan do not have their own water treatment plants capable of meeting the increasing demand for clean and treated water supply.
“Therefore, the jurisdiction of the Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant has been expanded to meet the needs of those areas,” he said.
He said this when officiating at the Utilities and Telecommunications Minister’s Joint Address Ceremony at the Imperial Hotel here today.
Elaborating further, he said Samarahan currently only has the Sebuyau Water Treatment Plant with a capacity of about 3.5 million litres per day, which is insufficient to meet current and future demand.
“Therefore, Sarawak Water, in collaboration with the Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB), has been directed to conduct a reassessment to identify the best methods to meet the demand for treated and clean water supply in Samarahan.
“I have also requested JBALB to assess potential locations in Samarahan that have sufficient raw water sources for the construction of new water treatment plants as backup to the Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant.
“Praise be to God, we have identified the Sebuyau area as having adequate raw water supply, making it suitable for consideration for the construction of a new water treatment plant in the future.
“The construction of a new water treatment plant in Sebuyau with a capacity of at least 20 million litres per day will serve as an important backup to the Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant to ensure the stability of water supply in Kuching and Samarahan,” he said.
Julaihi expressed hope that the construction of new water treatment plants in Sebuyau and Tebedu will serve as backups to the Batu Kitang and Slabi Water Treatment Plants.
“We are confident that we can provide all the additional water supply required because, at the same time, the government is also developing water supply systems using appropriate technologies to produce treated and clean water for the people of Sarawak,” he explained.
Meanwhile, he also informed that the Sarawak Government has approved an allocation of RM810.6 million to implement water supply projects under Alternative Financing and the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13).
“The overall water supply coverage in Sarawak currently stands at 85.6 per cent.
“Therefore, I urge all water supply agencies to carry out thorough planning and action plans so that projects under this allocation can be implemented according to the set schedule and the funds fully utilised,” he said.
