KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 443,259 affordable housing units have been completed as of Sept 30 this year, says Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
This meant only 56,741 affordable housing units needed to be built to achieve the target of 500,000 under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), he added.
“If this is achieved, it will be the first time the target of building affordable housing is successfully met according to the national roadmap,” he said in his winding-up speech on the Supply Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Nov 12).
He also said that 65,818 applications with loans totaling RM14.975bil have been approved under the Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (SJKP) since its implementation in 2008 up to August this year.
He added that 76.5% of Malaysian families have also succeeded in owning houses.
Nga also noted that under Budget 2025, Putrajaya increased the ceiling to rebuild or repair dilapidated homes from RM85,000 to RM90,000.
“Under the new scheme, if residents are unable to fix their kampung house, the government will build a new one.
“By next year, 59 families will benefit from the home repairs and renovation scheme,” he said.
At the same time, Nga said his ministry has a comprehensive plan to construct a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant with incinerator technology to address the shortage of sanitary disposal sites and to accommodate the increasing waste generation.
“The amount of solid waste generated by Malaysians was 14.2 million tons last year.
“A WTE plant is safe and does not harm the people’s health, as it is based on strict specifications by the Environment Department, in line with the principles of zero waste and zero toxins in supporting the transition to a circular economy,” said Nga.
Nga said WTE technology does not require a large land area, not does it produce water leachate, methane gas or odours that would have a negative impact on the environment and surrounding communities.
“WTE plants are capable of generating renewable energy that can replace electricity generated from fossil fuels.
“They are an effective method of ensuring environmental sustainability while maintaining the people's well-being," he said.
