KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Government has committed about RM2.5bil to ongoing water projects nationwide to improve supply from the source right up to treatment facilities, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said this reflected Putrajaya’s long-term investment in strengthening the country’s water system.
However, he acknowledged that Sabah’s unique regulatory position posed challenges for federal oversight.
"In Peninsular Malaysia, we have governance through a regulator, the National Water Services Commission (SPAN).
"But SPAN does not have a role in Sabah because we respect the state’s autonomy and rights," he said on Thursday (Dec 4).
He noted that this meant the Sabah Water Department effectively acted as both operator and regulator, resulting in governance gaps that made monitoring and enforcement more complicated.
Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) had pressed the government about leakages, contracts and alleged lopsided agreements involving water supply in Sabah.
Shafie asked if the Federal Government would scrutinise the agreements between private companies and state authorities, which he said may have contributed to wastage and poor service.
"I have been in government before and I cancelled (arrangements with) a company because of a lopsided agreement," he said, adding that Sabah recorded the highest non-revenue water (NRW) losses in the country.
He also linked the state’s water problems to serious public health concerns, claiming Sabah had some of the highest kidney-related health issues because of residents consuming saltwater or poor-quality water.
Shafie urged enforcement agencies, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), to investigate what he described as "significant financial leakages".
Akmal Nasrullah explained that his role is limited to vetting payment claims for federally funded projects.
"At the ministry level, we review payment applications every time work is completed, checking the percentage of work done before releasing funds. That is as far as the ministry can go in monitoring work and payments," he said.
He added that any deeper probe into alleged corruption, leakages, or the establishment of an independent regulator in Sabah was outside his ministry’s remit.
"Beyond that, if Semporna feels there is a need for a regulator or for MACC to investigate, that is outside the ministry’s scope.
"My advice is that if there is evidence, it should be brought forward," he said.
