Junz (front row, standing centre) with other invited guests and attendees at the Pemimpin Bersama Rakyat programme in SK Pulau Gaya yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: The Parti Warisan Sabah-led State Government has delivered its pre-election promise of supplying clean water to the people of Gaya Island.
Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Junz Wong said the RM5.3 million project would be conducted in phases – starting with Kampung Pulau Gaya and Kampung Kesuapan.
He also said that the project would serve as the State Government’s pilot project in its quest to bring an end to the state’s water woes.
“We (the State Government) have decided to supply water to all the houses on Gaya Island. There will be a few phases and we will start with two villages first.
“This would also serve a pilot project for us to see how we can resolve the water supply issues in the state as a whole. The issue of water supply does not only occur on Gaya Island – it is a problem that is faced by the entire state,” Junz told reporters after making the announcement at the Pemimpin Bersama Rakyat programme in SK Pulau Gaya yesterday.
The first phase of the project is expected to benefit over 510 houses from the two villages.
Junz, who is also Warisan vice president and Tanjung Aru assemblyman, said that the project is expected to be completed within five months.
“We are at the final stage of the project. The designs had been completed, the State Cabinet had given its approval and the budget had also been approved. Now, we are just waiting for the Ministry of Finance to issue the relevant letters so that we can start the procedure to appoint contractors.
“This may take some time but (it should be noted) that we are in the final stage,” said Junz.
The new system will adopt a ‘prepaid’ mechanism – this means that residents would have to make a payment even before they get the water – as opposed to the conventional billing systems where residents are required to pay for the water supply at the end of each month (after they have used the supply)
The water will be sold at RM1.30 per cubic meter – similar to what the condominium and apartment residents (i.e. under Category Domestic 2 tariff) are currently paying right now.
“You will only get your water supply after you have paid. However, you will only have to pay the same amount as what the mainland residents are paying,” Junz explained.
As of now, Junz said that the residents of Gaya Island would have to go to the mainland just to buy water.
It is understood that the residents would have to purchase cards that would function as prepaid cards from the State Water Department. These cards would only be sold by the said department.
Junz added that the RM5.3 million allocation came from the State Water Department which is under the Ministry of Infrastructure Development.
In this regard, he expressed his gratitude to its minister, Datuk Peter Anthony, for taking the extra mile by finding room in his ministry’s tight budget just to ensure that the people of Gaya Island would not be deprived of water supply.
Among those present at the event were Sabah Fisheries and Fishermen Development Co-Op (Ko-Nelayan) chairman cum Warisan Putatan chief Awang Ahmad Shah Awang Sahari, Papar Member of Parliament Ahmad Hassan and State Water Department director Ir Amarjit Singh.