Datuk Julaihi Narawi
KUCHING (April 22): Sarawak is still 16.4 per cent short of achieving full coverage for water supply by 2025, says Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Julaihi Narawi.
He said Sarawak’s overall water supply coverage was now at 83.6 per cent; 99 per cent coverage for urban areas, and 66.9 per cent coverage for rural areas.
“This means that we have to increase the overall coverage by 16.4 per cent to achieve the 100 per cent coverage by 2025,” he said at the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between his ministry and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) at the university’s campus in Kota Samarahan near here yesterday.
The MoU will pave the way for collaboration in programmes for the development of water supply in Sarawak.
Julaihi said his ministry had identified several important and major projects involving water supply coverage, to be implemented under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
Among the projects were the implementation of a state-wide water supply grid, the extension of pipelines to communities which could be connected to the existing water supply network, and the implementation of Sarawak Alternative Rural Water Supply (Sawas) programme for remote and rural areas.
“My ministry has also embarked on a holistic non-revenue water (NRW) management programme to reduce NRW to 25 per cent in Sarawak,” he added.
Through the MoU, Julaihi said the ministry and the university would look into collaboration in research, study and consultancy in the development of water supply in Sarawak.
“We are hopeful that after the signing of this MoU, it will be followed up with active collaborations, which are fruitful and beneficial to both parties, to enhance the productivity, efficiency and delivery of our water supply services.”
Julaihi added that his ministry would aspire to have world class utilities that were reliable, economical, safe and sustainable throughout Sarawak to enhance the economic and social well-being of the people.
“The ministry has also set a target of 100 per cent utility coverage by 2025 and maintaining a power generation mix of at least 60 per cent hydro by 2030,” he added.
from Borneo Post Online https://ift.tt/AWC0ktJ
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment