THE Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB) will install 40,000 smart meters as a pilot project in the Serian Division by the end of this year in line with efforts on digitalising water supply systems.
Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Julaihi Narawi said that as many as 14,200 smart meters have been installed in Bau District, Asajaya, Simunjan and Sebuyau this year.
“Kuching Water Board (KWB) will implement a pilot project of 2,000 smart meter units in the Darul Hana Housing area,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech in the DUN on Tuesday (May 24).
The smart meter uses Narrow Band Internet of Things (NBIoT) technology and radio frequencies for reading transmission.
Julaihi added that the installation of smart meters will then be extended to all users in the coverage area of the KWB.
Apart from that, in digitalising the water supplies system, he said the Water Supply System Digitisation Programme by JBALB consists of the integrated multi-information platform, namely, the Command Centre which serves as a communication center and smart technology to monitor water supply infrastructure as well as water network systems.
“In addition, the ‘e-Utilities’, ‘iWater’ and ‘Service Sarawak’ have been introduced to provide various services related to water supply. One of the services provided is bill review and payment, water meter application, mains layer and pipe fitter licence as well as water supply product certificate application,” he said.
On another note, he said that the water tank delivery programme is one of the initiatives implemented by the Sarawak government, and this initiative is carried out in areas that still do not have access to clean and fully treated water supply as well as areas that have water supply problems.
“A total of 56,044 units of water tanks have been sent to the affected areas since 2018,” he said.
He also said that his Ministry takes seriously the high rate of non-revenue water (NRW), and hence the NRW Management Programme has been initiated to address this issue through a digital technology-based approach.
“All water agencies have set up NRW units to implement NRW reduction programmes in their respective areas,” he said.
On water subsidy, he said that the government has provided a high subsidy for the supply of treated water to domestic consumers.
“Generally, the cost of water production is between RM1.04 to RM1.78 per 1,000 liters. But the water tariff we impose on domestic consumers is between 44 cents to 61 cents per 1,000 liters. This means that the subsidy borne by the government through all water supply agencies is between 41 percent to 75 percent for domestic consumers.
“The total estimated water subsidy for 2020 and 2021 through the four water agencies JBLAB, KWB, Sibu Water Board and LAKU Management Sdn. Bhd for domestic consumers in Sarawak is RM305 million,” he added.
Apart from that, he said that the government also provides subsidies through the Free Water Programme for the first RM5 of domestic water bills from January 2020 until now, and as of April 2022, total subsidy for this programme is RM68.2 million.
“And the discount for water bills under the Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance Package (BKSS) 2020 until April 2022 is RM101.3 million which benefits 647,000 consumers,” said Julaihi.
