State to increase hydroelectricity capacity to meet increasing demand for power
Adenan touching the globe to symbolically launch the Ministry of Public Utilities e-KISS system while witnessed by his wife Puan Sri Dato Jamilah Anu (second left), Awang Tengah (third right), Asfia (right) and others. — Bernama Photo
KUCHING: The state government will build more dams if necessary to meet the power demand for its industrial development and the people.
To meet the anticipated growing need for power Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem has given the green light to the Ministry of Public Utilities to look into the feasibility of constructing more dams in the state.
He said with the state’s 24-hour electricity supply coverage having reached 90 per cent penetration he hoped that the target of 100 per cent would be achieved soon.
“I hope that the Ministry of Public Utilities will continue with what they are doing now and eventually reach our target of 100 per cent.
“If we have to build more dams to generate electric power for the industry, we have to build more dams whether the environmentalists or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) agree or not. The dams do not belong to them anyway,” Adenan said in his speech at the Ministry of Public Utilities 10th Anniversary Celebration at a leading hotel here yesterday.
Adenan also pointed out that the ministry must also place emphasis on building more basic infrastructure in rural areas to accelerate rural development and thus narrow the gap between urban and rural areas.
According to him, the gap between the rich and poor was almost parallel to the development gap between urban and rural areas.
“What used to be 80 per cent population in rural areas and 20 per cent in urban areas have now changed with today’s population ratio between the urban and rural at 50:50.
‘This is because a lot of people have migrated to the city because of the economic opportunities available,” he said.
Meanwhile, Public Utilities Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan disclosed that four million hectares in the state had been gazetted as water catchment areas to ensure that there would be sufficient water supply in the future.
“The ministry will continue developing hydro dams and raw water transfer schemes in order to establish a regional water supply concept. Once we have successfully implemented all the regional water supply plans, then water catchment areas which are no longer required could be released for other forms of development,” he said.
Awang Tengah also noted that the state was falling 10 per cent short of the 90 per cent target for rural water supply and five per cent of the 95 per cent target under the National Key Results Area (NKRA) for rural electricity supply.
The ministry would continue to request for additional grants for rural water and electricity supply development from the federal government based on a ‘catch up plan’ to ensure that the state will achieve an RBI that is in line with what is achieved in Peninsular Malaysia for the upcoming 11th Malaysia Plan.
Adenan (centre) cutting the cake in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Utilities 10th Anniversary Celebration while joined by his wife Puan Sri Dato Jamilah Anu (fifth left), Awang Tengah (fourth right), Asfia (third right), Entri (second right), Rundi (right) and others. — Bernama photo
Adenan looking at an exhibit on the Ministry of Public Utilities while accompanied by his wife Puan Sri Dato Jamilah Anu (right) and Awang Tengah (third right). — Bernama photo
Prior to the breaking of fast Adenan launched the ministry’s Sarawak e-Key Performance Indicators System for Water Supply Services (e-KISS), which is a web-based online system that facilitates the compilation and delivery of key performance indicators (KPI) to the Ministry of Public Utilities from four state water supply enforcement agencies namely Kuching Water Board, Sibu Water Board, Laku Management Sdn Bhd and State Labour Department (Water Supply branch).
Among those present were State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Morshidi Abdul Ghani, State Legislative Assembly (DUN) speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar, Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Water Supply) Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran and Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Electricity and Telecommunications) Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.