Work on the urgent water supply project in Kasigui, Penampang, is on track for completion by May 2025, providing an additional 5 million liters of water daily, says Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.

Shahelmy who is also Sabah works minister said the project, launched in May 2024, is progressing despite some technical challenges on-site.

“Solutions have been identified, and once implemented, we can expedite the project to meet the May 2025 target,” Shahelmey said during a site visit on Tuesday.

“It is our hope that once this project is completed, the additional 5 million liters per day will be supplied into the network for our consumers.”

The Kasigui Water Treatment Plant currently produces about 54 million liters of treated water daily, exceeding its original design capacity of 50 million liters.

Together with the Moyog Water Treatment Plant, the two facilities have a combined design capacity of 215 million liters per day. 

But they have been producing up to 238 million liters daily to meet growing demand. 

On another development, Shahelmey acknowledged complaints from residents over low water pressure and rationing schedules, particularly in Kota Kinabalu, Putatan, and Penampang.

“There are issues with broken pipes that we only discover when complaints are made,” he said, noting the state’s high non-revenue water (NRW) rate.

Efforts to balance water distribution and pressure are also causing temporary disruptions, he said.

“I’ve told the Water Department to stay alert and respond immediately to supply issues,” Shahelmey said. – January 14, 2025.