Kota Kinabalu: The State Government allocated RM4.89 billion between 2021 and 2024 for infrastructure development under the Works Ministry, as part of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 1.0 plan.
Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, said on Tuesday that the total length of roads in Sabah increased by 982km during this period.
“The road network increased from 21,876km in 2021 to 22,858km in 2024,” he said when responding to a question by Nabawan Assemblyman Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});This includes a 36-km increase in federal roads, a 283-km addition to state roads under the Public Works Department (PWD), a 392-km rise in roads under municipal councils, and a 271-km increase in district council roads.
In terms of water infrastructure, the state’s treated water production capacity rose from 1,505 million litres per day in 2021 to 1,630 million litres per day in 2024.
The number of water treatment plants also grew from 85 in 2021–2022 to 88 in 2023 and 90 in 2024, reflecting the state’s efforts to improve water supply infrastructure.
To address supply issues, the State Government is implementing several upgrading projects, including the Telibong II Water Treatment Plant, which will increase its capacity by 80 million litres per day upon completion in late this year.
Other projects slated for completion by the end of this year include upgrades to the Beluran (6 million litres), Kanibongan (4 million litres), and Kasigui (5 million litres) plants.
The Kogopon plant will be upgraded to handle an additional 40 million litres daily by the end of 2026, while a second intake facility for the Papar EWSS plant is also scheduled for completion this year.
Nizam said 18 additional water supply projects are planned or underway and expected to be completed by 2026.
He added that the state managed to reduce non-revenue water (NRW) loss from 60 per cent to 52 per cent in 2024.
“These projects are crucial to meet rising demand from the industrial and housing sectors,” he said.
On electricity infrastructure, Nizam said the Sabah Energy Council had approved 11 projects totalling 1,219 megawatts, with expected completion between January 2025 and January 2031.
He also said the average System Average Interruption Duration Index (Saidi) in Sabah improved from 332 minutes in 2021 to 207 minutes in 2024.
