KOTA KINABALU: There should be no more reasons for Sabah to delay various projects to address the state's ever-concerning water woes, with more than RM700mil already allocated by Putrajaya to the state thus far, says Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) president.

       Datuk Michael Lui said he welcomed the latest funding from the Federal Government, an additional RM100mil approved by the Economy Ministry on Wednesday (March 6), to remedy the water supply issue in Sabah.

       He said together with previous allocations, such as the approval of a RM300mil soft loan last year, RM200mil for four new projects for short-term solutions and RM163.55mil for water connections allocated the Fourth Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia plan, the total funding given to Sabah is over RM700mil.

       He said this in a statement here on Thursday (March 7).

       He said serious attention must also be given to issues such as losses through non-revenue water (NRW) and water thefts.

       Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof had told the Dewan Rakyat earlier this week that the approval for the RM100mil allocation was obtained after the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry applied for a cost realignment following the Cabinet’s approval on Sept 27, 2023, which allocated RM300mil as a loan to address the water supply issue in Sabah.