KUCHING, Dec 9 ― Sarawak plans to establish a single entity to operate and manage water supply throughout the state under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) to improve efficiency and effectiveness, said state Utilities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.

He said this was part of the ministry's 50-year master plan for the state's water supply system from 2020 to 2070.

Dr Rundi said the new entity would follow the module used by Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) in operating and managing power supply in the state.

Speaking to reporters after inspecting two Kuching Water Board (KWB) water treatment plants in Matang and Batu Kitang, he said like SEB, the water supply body needed to be very effective in its operations including having an efficient supply system, smart metering and real-time monitoring.

Dr Rundi said a bill for a new Sarawak Water Ordinance would be tabled at the next State Legislative Assembly sitting in May next year.

"We will need a lot of funding to do all these to make sure we have a very efficient water supply system for the whole state,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Rundi said the KWB was planning to construct a new water treatment under the 12MP in Landeh in Padawan to meet the projected demand in Kuching City and upgrade its Plant 2 and Plant 4 at the Batu Kitang Treatment Plant, all at a cost of RM1.2 billion.

The project for upgrading the capacity of plant two from 95 to 200 million litres per day will be awarded soon and it is scheduled to be completed with 24 months, he said.

With the new plants running at 200 million litres per day (MLD) and the upgrading works on all the existing plants, KWB would be able to produce 1,184 MLD, which is sufficient to supply to all areas in the southern zone of the state.

The southern zone covers Kuching up to Betong, the central zone comprises Sibu, Mukah and Sarikei areas, and the northern zone is from Bintulu up to Limbang and Lawas. ― Bernama