By DayakDaily Team
SERIAN, June 23: Nearly 10,000 residents from 26 villages in the Serian Division are expected to enjoy a more stable water supply when Phase 2 of the Serian Regional Water Supply Project is completed by April 2027.
According to Minister for Utility and Telecommunications Dato Sri Julaihi Narawi, the project forms part of the implementation of the Sarawak Water Supply Master Plan and the development of the Sarawak Water Supply Grid System for the southern region of the State.
“Once completed, this project will provide water supply to the targeted villages. For example, we found that this site has an elevated water tank with a capacity of three million litres and is expected to serve 825 households across 26 villages.
“All of this is funded by the Sarawak government itself and forms part of the RM7 billion approved by the State government for the implementation of water supply projects throughout Sarawak,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Sabal and Melikin project sites here today, as reported by TVS.
He said the first phase of the project involves the construction of a three-million-litre elevated water tank, 33 kilometres of transmission pipelines, 45 kilometres of distribution pipelines, as well as booster stations and related facilities.
According to Julaihi, the RM115.6 million project complements the second stage, which is valued at RM126 million, bringing the total cost of Phase 2 to more than RM240 million.
He added that the Sarawak government is also implementing several water supply projects in other districts, including Lundu, Kuching, Sri Aman, and Betong, to strengthen the water grid network.
“We hope that when this project is completed in April next year, together with the first site we visited earlier, we will be able to establish a water grid system for the Serian Division.
“This means we will be able to expand water supply coverage in rural areas, as rural water coverage is currently approaching 72 per cent, although coverage in urban areas already exceeds 90 per cent,” he said.
Julaihi explained that water supply projects require the completion of the entire ecosystem—including water treatment plants, transmission pipelines, distribution pipelines, booster stations and elevated water tanks—before water can be delivered to consumers.
He added that the Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) will continue to work closely with the Resident’s Office and relevant agencies to ensure residents receive accurate information on water supply projects and the necessary assistance, particularly during the dry season. — DayakDaily
