Sabah gearing up to finally enforce 1998 Water Resources Enactment

KOTA KINABALU: Mechanisms to enforce the Sabah Water Resources Enactment 1998, especially on royalty issues, are being developed to improve the management of water sources and generate revenue for the state.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said if the articles and terms in the enactment were properly enforced, the state government can expect up to RM17mil in annual revenue just from water resources through the state Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID).

He said the implementation will take into account the economic and social effects on the various stakeholders and the public.

Speaking to reporters after officiating the Organisation Strategic Plan Programme (2021-2025) for the state DID on Friday (July 22), he said the enactment was passed in 1998 but was never enforced.

“We hope this can be implemented soon, this year, especially with the launch of this strategic plan,” he said.

He added that by not enforcing the enactment, the state would continue to face issues such as river reserves not being set aside prior to development, as well as land acquisition complications, among others.

Jeffrey said other issues related to water catchments and usage of water resources, and the absence of royalty claims or payments for hydro-related industries.

He said there should be collection of royalty in water resource management but for the moment, Sabah was not getting any because the enactment was not enforced.

He said the related authorities will ensure that preparations for the collection of water revenue was ready so that the enforcement could commence smoothly.

He also hoped that the DID Strategic Plan, which comprises four main thrusts and 23 strategies, would contribute to the growth of Sabah's economic ecosystem, in line with the Sabah Maju Jaya initiative.