KUCHING: A new mega water-treatment plant, which will cost RM1.6bil, will be built here to cater for the increasing demand for water, especially from the high-tech industries in Samajaya Free Industrial Zone.

       Dubbed Plant 5 under Kuching Water Board (KWB), the new project in Landeh, Padawan, is planned to have a production capacity of 800 million litres a day (MLD) when fully developed.

       Under Phase 1, Plant 5 will have a capacity of 200 MLD, according to Sarawak Utility and Telecommunication Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi. He said the Phase 1 project will be implemented as soon as possible and is expected to take three years to complete.

       “The construction of the new water-treatment plant is part of the long-term plan to meet the increasing water demand,” he said after being briefed by KWB general manager Rodziah Mohamad on its operations and development plans.

       KWB’s existing water treatment plants in Batu Kitang have a combined production capacity of 760 MLD.

       Besides serving the needs of a population of some 710,000 and industries in the city, KWB also cater for the water demand from Samarahan, Puncak Borneo, Bau, Semariang and other nearby areas.

       Julaihi said the Samajaya Free Industrial Zone is currently the single-largest water consumer in the state capital, with 24 MLD.

       The demand for water from the hi-tech industries is increasing with more multinational corporations there expanding their manufacturing facilities.

       According to Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Enterpreneur Development, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, four companies – Taiyo Yuden (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd, HGST Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IMM Technology Sdn Bhd and LONGi Kuching Sdn Bhd – are investing some RM6.31bil to expand their production capacities and operations.

       By the end of this year, the Utilities and Telecommunications Ministry estimates that the companies in Samajaya Free Industrial Zone will require an additional 21 MLD.

       The ministry said KWB would be required to produce more treated water to meet a steep escalation in demand in its role as the anchor water treatment plant for the southern region of Sarawak State Water Grid.

       The KWB is upgrading its Plant 2 to boost production capacity by an additional 100 MLD by year-end. It is planning to upgrade its Module 7 to provide an additional capacity of 100 MLD.

       According to the ministry, demand for water is growing at about 4% per annum in tandem with the development of Kuching city and Greater Kuching.