SANDAKAN: After another round of water cuts left parts of Sandakan without supply for days, Tanjong Papat assemblyman Alex Thien has asked the Sabah Water Department whether pipes that have repeatedly burst in the same areas are due for replacement.
The Warisan assemblyman said the latest bursts occurred close to earlier repair sites. His service team has been arranging water tankers for affected residents since Nov 3. Schools have also been affected, while some eateries had to close temporarily because they had no water.
“People living along these stretches have seen repair crews come back to much the same spot. They deserve to know what is causing the bursts, whether the pipes are on the replacement list and, if so, when the work will start,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Thien said the state’s 2026 budget provided RM848 million for the Sabah Water Department’s operating and development expenditure statewide. He had asked during the supplementary budget debate in July how much would be spent in Sandakan and was now seeking a breakdown by project, including the areas served and expected completion dates.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed confidence last November that Sabah’s longstanding water supply problems could be resolved in 2026. In September, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state had spent more than RM1 billion on water supply improvements across Sabah, including the replacement of ageing and leaking pipes.
“When the government reports that a project is 80 or 90 per cent complete, a resident still needs to know whether that work will stop the water cuts on his street. The department should identify which areas will benefit from each project and when residents can expect a reliable supply,” Thien said.
He welcomed state Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk James Ratib’s call for senior Water Department officials to visit Sandakan. He urged them to inspect the sites of repeated bursts and explain what further work was needed. While repairs were under way, he said, the department should publish tanker delivery times and collection points so families and schools could plan ahead.
“A tanker delivery gets a family through the day. What people in Sandakan want is to turn on the tap tomorrow morning and know there will be water,” he said.
