KUCHING: Despite the enforcement of the movement control order (MCO) nationwide, water supply projects under the Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) have not been disrupted and they are still running smoothly.
However there were other water supply projects which have to be temporarily postponed to comply with the standard operating procedure (SOP), said Assistant Minister of Utilities (Water Supply) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi.
He explained that only critical projects and those in locations which need continuous water supply were allowed to operate, but they must obtain permission from the Utilities Ministry.
“We have instructed for all projects under JBALB to comply with the SOP. There are water supply projects underway and some are nearing completion.
“Some other projects cannot be implemented during this time due to the MCO and they had to be stopped,” he said.
Dr Abdul Rahman, who is also Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs and DBKU), said JBALB had also been instructed to send water supply through tanks to areas affected by drought.
“I have instructed JBALB and the water agencies under the Sarawak Utilities Ministry to be ready to supply water to help areas that often experience water shortages,” he said.
He said almost 66.5 percent of rural areas in Sarawak already had water supply coverage, while it was at 95 percent for urban areas.
“In total, 83.4 percent of areas in the state had clean water coverage by the end of 2020. We hope to achieve the target of 100 percent water supply coverage by 2025,” he said.
