Telibong plant needs more funds — DPM
TUARAN: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said more funds are needed to complete the Telibong II water treatment plant to meet the water demand in Sabah.
I have instructed two ministries, our own ministry and Public Works Ministry, with several agencies involved including the Public Works Department (JKR) and Sabah State Water Department (JANS) to sit down and discuss how do we find a solution, especially involving the piping.
— Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Deputy Prime Minister
Fadillah said he had ordered the Ministry of Energy Transition and Public Utilities and the Ministry of Public Works to sit together with relevant agencies to find a solution to the issue of water supply in Sabah.
He said the instruction came from him as the Minister of Energy Transition and Public Utilities following the need of additional funds to solve the issue.
“I have instructed two ministries, our own ministry and Public Works Ministry, with several agencies involved including the Public Works Department (JKR) and Sabah State Water Department (JANS) to sit down and discuss how do we find a solution, especially involving the piping.
“Since this project needs additional allocation, I will need the reports within these next two weeks. I want to know when will this project be completed… estimated cost and so on, so that we can bring this to the federal government because the fund is a loan.
“So, we have to discuss how we want to find additional funds from the available allocations,“he said.
According to Fadillah, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has entrusted him to find a solution to the critical water problem.
“It’s not just the industry and local residents that are affected, but we know that Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is also dealing with this water problem,” he said during his visit to the Telibong II water treatment plant in Tamparuli, near here on Saturday.
Also present were Sabah Public Works Assistant Minister Datuk Limus Jury and Tuaran Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, who is Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) chairman.
Fadillah also revealed that the Telibong II water treatment plant project is almost 70 per cent complete.
When asked what was hindering the project, he said it was the coordination between the agencies overlooking the Pan Borneo Highway and the Telibong II enhancement projects.
“That’s why we’re giving them two weeks to find a solution.
“Some issues have been resolved in terms of right of way. The JKR has given the Water Department way leave so, that has been resolved.
“But now is to find a way for the continuation of the project,” he said.
Fadillah, who is also responsible for Sabah and Sarawak affairs, said his visit to the project site was to see and understand the water issue affecting the people of Sabah, especially in Tuaran.
He also visited the Gudon/ Telipok main distribution substation project near here and the Moyog Integrated River Basin Development project in Penampang near here.
The Telibong II water treatment plant, when completed, will supply water to areas north of Kota Kinabalu, the city centre as well as the Tuaran district and its surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, when asked if the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) had discussed the formula for the 40 per cent tax revenue owed by Putrajaya to Sabah, Fadillah said a minor reshuffle is needed to bring former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, back into the MA63 committee.
“We will discuss this in our MA63 committee. You have to wait because there’s some reshuffling.
“For example, Armizan is no longer in charge of Sabah and Sarawak, so we have to reorganise the structure, and then only we have a meeting and put up a new paper,” he said.
Fadillah added that he had paid a courtesy call to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on Friday to seek the latter’s input on the issues regarding the MA63.
“That’s why we sat down and got his direction (Hajiji).
“What I am going to do as far as the MA63 is concerned is to get Armizan and (Penampang MP) Datuk Ewon Benedick to sit in the committee.
“And from then on, we will start our discussion,” he said.
Ewon, who is a member of MTPMA63 and the MTPMA63 technical committee, had last December said he would submit a proposed framework to the Federal and Sabah governments for the payment mechanism of the 40 per cent tax revenue owed by Putrajaya to the state this year.
The president of Upko, a Pakatan Harapan component, said the proposed framework will consider technical issues related to the availability of data related to the collection of federal revenue in Sabah since 1974.
Ewon who is also the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, added that the framework will offer a more practical step to realise the payment.