The Federal Government has approved loans totaling RM796.4 million to state governments this year to finance 28 water supply projects.
This initiative was implemented as an effort to reduce the impact of the Southwest Monsoon which is expected to bring dry weather and the risk of causing drought.
However, despite the implementation of these projects worth millions of ringgit, the country is still facing the loss of almost half of the treated water produced.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof revealed that the problem of non-revenue water (NRW) continues to haunt the country's water supply system, despite various projects being actively implemented, including in Sabah, Kedah, Kelantan and Sarawak.
He informed that an estimated 40% of treated water is lost due to leaks in old pipes, improper pipe installation and water theft activities.
Therefore, his ministry is now prioritizing the reassessment of existing pipe systems and the replacement of damaged pipes.
Of the total projects, seven are expected to be completed this year.
However, the main question that the people are focusing on is until when will consumers have to bear this 'unseen' water cost?
