TAWAU: Relief is in sight for residents grappling with Tawau’s long-standing water shortages, with a RM450.5mil dam project on track for completion by the end of 2027.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the Phase III Tawau Water Supply Scheme would help secure a more reliable raw water supply for the district.
“From the briefing, the progress appears good and is according to schedule, although there has been an application for an extension.
“The important thing is that the dam is expected to be completed before the end of 2027. This is a positive development that will help us resolve Tawau’s water problems,” he said after visiting the project here on Sunday (Aug 2).
Hajiji said water supply problems were not confined to Tawau but also affected many other districts across Sabah.
“We inherited these problems. They did not arise during the tenure of the present government.
“But as a responsible government, we are doing our best and providing the necessary allocations to resolve them and provide better facilities for the people,” he said.
He said the state government would consider additional funding if necessary, subject to reports from the Sabah Water Department and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage.
Hajiji said the government was satisfied with the project’s progress and the contractor’s performance, but would continue monitoring the works.
He was briefed on the scheme and Tawau’s main water supply infrastructure by Rodney Tinggas, senior assistant director of the Project Monitoring and Management Branch at the Sabah Water Department headquarters.
Tinggas said the project had reached 74.04% physical completion as of July 25, slightly ahead of its scheduled target of 73.89%. The project, undertaken by Citic Wijaya Construction, is scheduled for completion on Oct 21, 2027.
It includes a dam with a raw water storage capacity of 30 million cubic metres and 11.6km of 700mm raw water pipelines.
Once completed, it will supply raw water to the Cinta Mata 1, Cinta Mata 2 and Northern water treatment plants, which have a combined treated-water production capacity of 161 million litres per day.
The scheme is expected to reduce raw water shortages during dry periods, improve water quality through controlled reservoir storage and lower flood risks in downstream areas.
However, Tinggas said the separate RM299.9mil Cinta Mata 2 Water Treatment Plant project was behind schedule, having reached 16.08% physical completion against a target of 23.86%.
The project includes a treatment plant capable of producing 30 million litres of treated water daily, two storage tanks and 12km of pipelines.
Scheduled for completion on July 22, 2028, it is expected to benefit about 42,000 consumers in Tawau and surrounding areas.
Tawau, Sabah’s third-largest city on the state’s east coast, has long been plagued by water supply disruptions.
Tinggas said Tawau currently had 53,133 registered water accounts, with daily production of 130 million litres against demand of 142 million litres.
He identified a 68% non-revenue water rate, ageing pipelines and equipment, water theft, inadequate storage capacity, raw water quality and quantity issues, logistical constraints and water rationing among the district’s main supply challenges.
