37% of Kelantanese live without piped water

This was followed by 14% in Sabah, 6.2% in Sarawak, 4% in Terengganu (4%) and 2% in Pahang

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 36.8% of the Kelantan population are still without piped water, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Dr Maximus Ongkili.

He said based on last year’s statistics, Kelantan is followed by Sabah with 14%, Sarawak (6.2%), Terengganu (4%), Pahang (2%), Kedah (1.7%), Perlis (0.5%), Johor, Selangor (0.2%), Negeri Sembilan and Penang (0.1%).

Maximus said this when replying to a question from Aaron Laga Dagang (BN-Kanowit) who wanted to know if the piped water quality achieved the international standard requirement as well as the percentage of people in the country still not receiving treated water, during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat here today.

Maximus said all water operators in the country must ensure that treated water quality supplied through the water supply system complied with the standards set by the Health Ministry’s National Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality Standards.

“The guidelines were established based on the standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” he said.

“The government and all water operators are stepping up efforts to upgrade the plants and distribution systems in stages and according to priority so that the water quality is safe for consumers,” he said.

– BERNAMA