Cut red tape to expedite rural water supply projects, S’wak minister tells federal ministry

KUCHING (July 5): Sarawak Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Dato Sri Julaihi Narawi today has called on the federal Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) to cut the red tape on the implementation of its rural water supply projects in the state.

He made the call so that the KKDW would expedite the completion of the 12 water supply projects in the state which the Auditor-General’s (AG) Report yesterday said were long overdue.

“The AG Report has referred to the management of projects by the federal Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) under the KKDW.

“For your information, all pre-contract processes comprising appointment of consultant, the value management lab, tender bidding, assessment of tender, award of contract and appointment of contractor aspects are all being managed by the federal government via KKDW,” said Julaihi.

Nevertheless, many projects had experienced delays in their implementation because of bureaucracy and long and tedious procedures, he added.

He said the 12 JBAB projects were approved within 2016 and 2018, but their implementation has been delayed, cited by yesterday’s AG Report.

“I therefore would like to stress that the pre-contract process is to be handled by KKDW fully while the Sarawak JBALB is only to handle the monitoring of projects,” he stressed.

Julaihi said he had highlighted the same issue during the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sittings in November 2023 and May 2024.

The delays not only have derailed the objectives provided by the Sarawak Grid and Water Supply Masterplan, but also affected the people who had been waiting for clean and treated water for so long, he added.

He suggested that the allocated funds for rural water supply projects would be distributed directly to Sarawak JBALB, being the implementing agency, using the procedures and methods which the Sarawak government had adopted to cut red tape.

The AG Report yesterday said the 12 projects in rural parts of Sarawak, worth RMRM888.32 million, have been delayed between five and seven years despite receiving approval in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

This affected 9,608 households in Sri Aman, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu, Limbang, Sarikei and Miri.