Sarawak to impose surcharge on households if water consumption exceeds 35,000 litres per month, says state minister

KUCHING, Nov 27 — Sarawak Utilities and Telecommunications Minister Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi today said a surcharge will be imposed on households if their water consumption exceeds 35,000 litres per month in a move to encourage prudent water use.

He said surcharge will not be imposed if the monthly water consumption is 35,000 litres and below per month.

“In Sarawak, the average water consumption is 224 litres per day per individual or 26,880 litres per month per household,” he said in his winding-up speech in the State Assembly.

He said according to the United Nations, the average consumption of water for an individual that has been proposed is 165 litres per day or 19,800 litres per month per household.

Julaihi said his ministry will replace about 2,742km of old pipes of various sizes spread out throughout the state over a five-year period starting next year.

He said one of the main issues affecting water supply in Sarawak is the high Non-Revenue Water (NRW), that is, the loss of water during distribution to users caused by pipe leaks, water theft and non-functioning water meters.

“Up to the third quarter of 2023, the average NRW for the whole of Sarawak is high at 43 per cent, a slight decrease compared to last year,” he said.

He said one of the main reasons that causes the rate of NRW high is because these old pipelines can easily burst causing low water pressure or supply cut off causing disruption of water supply.

He said a sum of RM1.085 billion has been allocated to replace the old pipes and upgrade the water supply system.

“I hope that this will solve our leakage problem in the water distribution system,” he said, adding the ministry will try its best to replace the old pipes.

“This is one of the main reasons that cause the rate of NRW high because these old pipelines can easily burst causing low water pressure or supply cut off causing disruption of water supply.

He said his ministry is taking steps to gazette another 38 water catchment areas to ensure the sustainability of the sources of raw water in line with the state water master plan and water grid.

He said the current demand for water in Sarawak is 2,000 million litres per day and the projection is expected to reach 2,400 million per day by 2030.