Sabah's non-revenue water rate at 60pct: Shahelmy

Sabah’s non-revenue water (NRW) rate is at 60 percent which is a loss of water resources in the state, said Deputy Chief Minister III Shahelmey Yahya.

As such, the state works minister said the Sabah Water Department is working on reducing the amount through several measures including improving the effectiveness of the supply system.

Shahelmey said overcoming NRW is one of the important steps being taken to ensure that the water supply system in the state is able to meet consumers’ demands.

"Our challenge is there is high demand but on top of that there are cases of NRW some of which are due to water theft that requires enforcement.

“We are also faced with manpower shortage and the effectiveness of the (water supply) system is also a challenge, so we need a mechanism and integrated effort to deal with it.

"The department is making improvements to reduce NRW to a lower percentage,” he said after an iftar event and presentation of donations to the poor and orphans last night.

If improvements can be made by the end of the year, consumers will be able to enjoy better water supply, Shahelmey added.

Last January, he reportedly said the department aimed to reduce NRW, which was at 54 percent at the time, by 25 percent or 10 million litres of water by the middle of this year.

- Bernama

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