Sabah: Sabah's non-revenue water (NRW) rate, recorded at 59.6 per cent last year, is targeted to be reduced to 45 per cent by 2030, the state legislative assembly was told today. Assistant Minister of Works and Utilities Datuk Limus Jury stated that the Sabah Water Department (JAS) had implemented various initiatives to address the issue, including integrated operations to curb illegal water connections.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the initiatives also include replacing critical pipelines, replacing faulty consumer meters or those that were more than seven years old, managing water pressure, and proactive leak detection and repair. Datuk Limus Jury emphasized that with continuous and comprehensive implementation of these measures, the department aims to reduce the state's NRW rate to 45 per cent by 2030. He made these remarks in response to a question from appointed assemblyman Datuk Chin Shu Ying.

Limus further explained that under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), the state government, through JAS, had devised an action plan featuring the implementation of a holistic NRW Programme. This includes a programme funded by the Federal Government involving 18 districts, while state government funding will cover 12 districts in Sabah.

He highlighted that the NRW Rehabilitation, Monitoring and Maintenance Active Leakage Control Project is also underway, focusing on three major districts: Kota Kinabalu, Lahad Datu, and Tawau. The project in Kota Kinabalu, which commenced on September 28, 2022, is expected to conclude on September 28 this year, aiming to reduce NRW by 10 million litres per day (MLD).

Meanwhile, projects in Tawau and Lahad Datu, which began on February 19, 2024, are scheduled for completion on February 19, 2027, with targets of reducing NRW by 14 MLD and 10 MLD respectively.