THE Kedah government will involve the private sector to assist in tackling the issue of non-revenue water (NRW) in the state. 

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the state government has obtained approval from the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) and is awaiting a decision from the environment and water minister.

“To overcome this problem of NRW, we will involve the private sector and Kedah is set to be the first state to do so. But, we need to first get permission from SPAN and the minister involved before the process can begin.

“The private sector will invest in infrastructure and a lot of costs can be saved from there. Our target is to reduce the NRW rate in the state from 50% to 25% within the next 15 years,” he said when asked to comment on the water issue in Kedah. 

Earlier, he had hosted the Kedah Menteri Besar Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house at Seri Mentaloon, which was attended by over 10,000 people. 

Meanwhile, he said the private sector involvement would also help cut electricity costs by 60%, which the state government has to bear. 

“The cost of water is not as high as that of electricity because in a year, we have to pay RM180 million to Tenaga Nasional Bhd. Our pumps are old and consume a lot of electricity. To change the pumps will cost millions of ringgit, so we cannot rush to change them.

“Other developed states like Selangor also face water problems, so be patient. I am not justifying the problem, but we are making efforts and I assure that infrastructure issues involving water will be resolved in the next three years,” he said.

He said all processes are underway and that once approval is obtained for the replacement of old pipes in critical places, especially in urban areas, work will be done immediately to prevent water leakages.

Sanusi added that he understands the people’s woes regarding the water issue, but he hopes they can be patient as it involves time and high costs. – Bernama, May 7, 2022.