Undersea pipeline replacement to Langkawi could cost billions, says exco

ALOR SETAR: The cost of replacing the entire undersea pipeline supplying water from the mainland to Langkawi Island could run into the billions of ringgit.
State executive councillor for Public Works, Natural Resources, Water Supply, Water Resources and Environment, Mohamad Yusuf @ Munir Zakaria, said that due to the prohibitive cost, only repair work is being carried out on the damaged sections.
'For now, we're allocating RM50 million to RM10 million for consultancy services and the remaining RM40 million for repair works,' he said during the Kedah legislative assembly sitting today.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Teh Swee Leong (PH–Kota Darul Aman), who had asked about the estimated cost of replacing the entire undersea pipeline to Langkawi.
Mohamad Yusuf added that since Syarikat Air Darul Aman (SADA) took over the Taliworks Langkawi concession on Nov 1, 2020, 42 new leaks have been repaired using underwater clamp methods, with the total cost for both new and existing leak inspections and repairs amounting to RM3.1 million.
He added that pipe inspection and repair works are currently carried out every two weeks, depending on weather and sea conditions.
Mohamad Yusuf said SADA will also undertake a dedicated undersea pipeline repair project to enhance the stability of treated water supply to Langkawi.
Now in its final procurement stage, it is scheduled to begin in August and expected to be completed by February next year.
He also revealed that the highest recorded non-revenue water loss stood at 55 percent, equivalent to 33 million litres per day, out of a total output of 60 million litres per day from the Sungai Baru Water Treatment Plant.
'Following repairs, the water loss rate has been reduced to 27 percent, or 16 million litres per day, ' he said.
The nearly 30-year-old 36-kilometre undersea pipeline transports treated water from the Sungai Baru plant in Perlis to Langkawi.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Borneo Post

5 hours ago

• Borneo Post

SUPP man calls on DAP leaders to fulfil promises of tackling rising cost of living

(Standing, from fifth left) Wong, Kong and Dr Soon (seated in front of Wong) pose for a photo session during the mobile service. SIBU (June 23): Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) Central assistant publicity and information secretary Wong Ching Yong reminded Democratic Action Party (DAP) ministers and MPs of their obligation in tackling the rising cost of living. He said they had frequently promised to ease the people's difficulties before assuming power in the federal government but pointed out that not only had DAP failed to fulfil its pre-election promise of reducing prices, they instead contributed to price hikes. 'With the rollout of a series of new policies, particularly the expansion of the Sales and Service Tax (SST), the increase in electricity tariffs in Peninsula and changes in fuel and gas subsidies, another wave of price hikes is expected after July. 'Yet we have not seen any effective countermeasures from Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders who head key federal ministries, including DAP's deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying, whose performance has been wholly inadequate,' he told a press conference during the SUPP Dudong and Sibu Jaya mobile service at a coffee shop here yesterday. He said with these policies, businesses were expected to raise their prices—severely impacting the public, particularly the B40 group—and the worrying part was that about 97 per cent of products would be affected by the SST, according to the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers. 'This completely contradicts the federal government's claims that the new tax structure would have minimal impact on low-income groups,' he said. Wong said while Sarawak was protected from the electricity tariff hike due to Gabungan Parti Sarawak's (GPS) governance, its implementation in Peninsula would raise industrial electricity costs which would inevitably be passed on to product prices. He said the fuel subsidy adjustments would have a similar effect, as Sarawak heavily depended on goods imported from the Peninsula and the increased production and transportation costs would drive up prices in local markets. He also highlighted another controversial item included in the tax net, namely imported fruits. 'Although the federal government claims the SST targets luxury imported fruits, the actual list includes apples, oranges, pears, mangoes and dates—which are commonly consumed by the B40 group. 'We must not ignore a key point: Malaysia is highly dependent on imported fruits. Most local fruits are seasonal or lack sufficient production to meet daily market demand. Therefore, the new tax on imported fruits will inevitably lead to price hikes and affect the people's daily nutritional intake.' He said DAP and PH leaders must understand the lower a person's income, the higher the proportion of their income that goes towards paying SST. 'For example, a B40 individual earning RM1,700 a month spends more than 85 per cent of their income on basic needs such as food and transport—all of which are heavily exposed to the new tax. In other words, the supposed fiscal fairness of the new tax could end up legally exploiting vulnerable groups. 'Take the eight per cent SST on the beauty industry as another example. The federal government naively believes this won't impact low-income groups—does this mean in the eyes of DAP ministers that low-income women don't have the right to pursue beauty? Furthermore, the higher costs could create room for unlicensed operators to flourish, posing additional public safety risks,' he stressed. He also brought up the Inland Revenue Board's implementation of the Stamp Duty Audit Framework, which came into effect January 1, 2025. He said employers must ensure employment contracts are stamped and they must self-assess and pay stamp duties. 'While RM10 per contract may seem trivial, if a company has many employees and there is a lack of clarity about the policy leading to delays, the accumulated taxes and fines could become a significant financial burden, especially for private companies already struggling in a weak economy. 'Moreover, stamp duty exemption is only granted for employees earning below RM300 per month—an amount far below Malaysia's current minimum wage of RM1,700. Is this reasonable?' Also present were SUPP Dudong advisor Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck and SUPP Sibu Jaya chairman Kong Sing Ping.

Rakyat Post

13 hours ago

• Rakyat Post

Malaysia's E-commerce Platforms Require Bahasa Melayu Product Listings Under New Rules

Subscribe to our FREE E-commerce platforms in Malaysia are now requiring sellers to use Bahasa Melayu in their product listings following new government regulations that took effect this month. Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop have notified sellers that they must comply with the Consumer Protection (Electronic Trade Transaction) Regulations 2024 Using Bahasa Melayu for all product titles and descriptions (brand names excluded) Displaying complete seller information, including name, contact details and business address Providing safety certifications for applicable products Implementation and Support Measures Meanwhile, the original compliance deadline of 24 June has been postponed pending review, with a new timeline to be announced once confirmed. To help sellers adapt, ecommerce platforms provide automatic translation feature that converts product descriptions to Bahasa Melayu. Penalties for non-compliance: Individuals: Up to RM50,000 fine and three years' jail for the first offence Companies: Up to RM100,000 fine for first offence Repeat offenders face doubled penalties While some sellers have raised concerns about implementation challenges, others have lauded the move as dignifying the national language and promoting Malaysian identity in the digital marketplace. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.

The Sun

14 hours ago

• The Sun

MoF: SST registration for expanded scope starts August 1

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has announced that new registration applications in relation to the expansion of the service tax scope and the revision of the sales tax rate, effective from July 1, 2025, can be made starting from Aug 1, 2025. For existing registered persons, applications for the addition of new services under the expansion of the service tax scope and tariff codes under the revision of the sales tax rate, which is effective from July 1, 2025, can be submitted beginning June 24, 2025, the ministry said in a post on X today. On June 9, the government announced a targeted review of the sales tax rate and an expansion of the service tax scope, both of which will take effect from July 1. The sales tax rate remains unchanged for essential goods, while a five or 10 per cent rate will be imposed on selected items. Meanwhile, the scope of the service tax will be expanded to include six new services: leasing or rental, construction, finance, private healthcare, education, and beauty services. Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican reportedly said that revenue from the Sales and Service Tax (SST) collection is expected to increase by RM5 billion in 2025 and by RM10 billion in 2026, following the implementation of the SST revised and expanded scope starting next month.