KUCHING, Oct 18 — Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg today said a single authority that will regulate the supply and distribution of water in the state is expected to materialise within two years.

He said an ordinance will have to be tabled in the state assembly to form the authority that will merge the different water boards in the state.

"The authority, which will be a statutory body, is still in the study process by the Ministry of Utility and Telecommunication and the experts," Abang Johari told reporters after giving a keynote address at the opening of the Borneo International Water and Wastewater Exhibition and Conference 2022.

He said the study will be on how the authority should be structured and its jurisdiction.

He said the Kuching and Sibu water boards, LAKU Water Management Sdn Bhd and other water authorities in Sarawak will be merged under a single water authority.

He said the authority will be entrusted to implement the Sarawak Water Supply Grid system.

Abang Johari said the authority will also control water bodies at the dams.

Earlier in his keynote address, the premier said Sarawak aims to balance economic growth with a responsible approach towards the utilisation of natural resources and integration of climate adaption and mitigation plans.

He said this approach prioritises the sustainable use of land and ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of the land and ocean ecosystem.

"As such, various initiatives will be implemented such as to maintain more than 60 per cent forest and tree cover, establish an integrated watershed management policy to conserve and protect water resources, increase urban green spaces and priorities green mobility solutions, including developing fuel cell technology," he said.

He said there are many factors contributing to the state of the present water supply systems issues, including inadequate treatment plant capacities, insufficient raw water sources, inefficient water treatment processes, inadequate treated water storages, aged pipelines, lack of interlinked networks, poor soil conditions, and high non-revenue water amongst others.

To address these issues holistically and systematically,

Abang Johari said the Sarawak government has introduced a Water Supply Grid System spanning across the whole State of Sarawak for the purpose of providing reliable, sustainable and resilient water supply to address the short, medium and long-term demands towards the year 2070.

He said initial funding of RM4 billion is allocated for the implementation of the first phase of the programme that shall be in place by 2025.

He said the state is also implementing the Sarawak Alternative Water Supply Programme or SAWAS to serve isolated communities with standalone treated water supply systems, which otherwise would take years to have access to clean water. The implementation of SAWAS is one of the initiatives towards achieving 100 per cent water supply coverage by 2025 in Sarawak.