QR codes on water tanks in rural Sarawak for easier tracking

Alice scanning the QR code on one of the water tanks as a demonstration to reporters.

By Ling Hui

KUCHING, Jan 10: QR codes are installed on water tanks to facilitate easier asset management and tracking of the tanks after they are delivered to rural areas in Sarawak, says Sarawak Utilities Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Alice Jawan Empaling.

She said with the QR codes printed on all water tanks, the Ministry of Utilities and its implementing agency, Sarawak Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) will know where the tanks are at any time.


She added the rightful owners of the water tanks will be known right away by scanning the QR codes, and this is one of the digitalisation initiatives by the ministry.

“Other than that, if we see a water tank and scan the QR code, we will know whether that person is supposed to have the tank or not.

Alice (centre) taking a photo with some of the water tanks to be delivered to Dudong and Bawang Assan on Jan 15.

“This is in line with the state government’s initiatives to implement digitalisation. Aside from locating the tanks, the QR codes act as records for us to know the quantity of tanks to every village.

“There is a list stating the rightful recipients of the water tanks, so the tanks will not go missing easily,” she said during the inspection of water tanks at the Sejingkat Store earlier today.

At the Sejingkat Store were rows and rows of water tanks to be delivered on Jan 15 to residents in Dudong and Bawang Assan with a total of 638 units and 258 units respectively.

Stacks of water tanks ready to be delivered to rural areas in Sarawak.

This batch of distribution will involve 38 longhouses in Dudong and eight longhouses in Bawang Assan with a total of 896 recipients.

“The supply of these water tanks is initiated and fully funded by the Sarawak government to address the problems of clean water supply or low water pressure faced by the residents in the rural areas in the state.

“We are now in Phase Three of the programme which is divided into two packages. The first package with 10,000 units of water tanks has been completed end of last year.

“The second package has a total of 25,534 units, and we have already delivered 11,000 units so far, left with about 14,000 units more to go,” stated Alice. — DayakDaily