The Sabah government is moving quickly to provide water supply to 355 villages in 12 districts across the state as rivers are drying up due to the extended drought. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has instructed for water to be delivered to around 50,800 affected households in villages located in Tongod, Tuaran, Papar, Keningau, Semporna, Kota Belud, Tenom, Pitas, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Kudat, and Tawau. A budget of RM7.5 million has been allocated for this purpose, and collaboration is taking place with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
The State Water Department and disaster operations command centers in the impacted districts have commenced distributing water to the residents. The water treatment plants in river catchment areas are at risk of drying up due to the drought that began in mid-February, and more regions may face water scarcity if the situation persists. Chief Minister Hajiji Noor revealed this information during the distribution of aid to the Fire and Rescue Department at Menara Kinabalu on Tuesday.
Efforts are being made to address the situation, with the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) recommending cloud seeding operations over areas affected by the hot and dry weather. The operations are slated to take place from Thursday to Saturday, and the cost will be fully covered by Nadma, with technical support from MetMalaysia. Logistic support will be provided by the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Labuan, in coordination with the Chief Minister’s Department’s Internal Affairs and Research Office.
During a briefing, Chief Minister Hajiji Noor highlighted the need for the cloud seeding operations to proceed successfully and bring much-needed rain to the affected regions. In addition, the state government has allocated RM267,444 to the Fire and Rescue Department for the purchase of additional equipment to combat forest and brush fires in Sabah. This includes 27 portable pumps, 75 motorized sling pumps, and 906 fire beaters.
As of Tuesday, a total of 1,392 cases of forest and brush fires have been reported, impacting over 3,600 hectares of land in the state. A fire at the Kayu Madang landfill in Kota Kinabalu, spanning about 3.5 hectares, has yet to be fully contained. The Fire and Rescue Department has deployed 319 firefighters across Sabah to address these incidents.
