Sarawak to explore exporting treated river water

 Premier Abang Johari Openg says the move is part of the state's broader strategy to maximise its natural resources.

Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg at the Borneo International Water & Wastewater Exhibition and Conference 2026 in Kuching today. (Ukas pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg says discussions are under way to export treated river water to a neighbouring country.

While declining to identify the country because of ongoing negotiations, he said Sarawak’s extensive river network, coupled with existing water treatment technology, makes the plan feasible.

According to Dayak Daily, Abang Johari said countries facing freshwater shortages, particularly those that rely on costly seawater desalination, could benefit from importing treated river water from Sarawak.

However, he said the plan would proceed only after Sarawak achieves its target of providing 100% clean water coverage by 2030.

“First, we must ensure the people of Sarawak have sufficient water. Once that is achieved, the next step is exports,” he told reporters after officiating the Borneo International Water & Wastewater Exhibition and Conference 2026 in Kuching today.

“We don’t have to reinvent the technology. It already exists,” he said, adding that a river could eventually be dedicated to supplying treated water for export.

He said the state is upgrading its water infrastructure and expanding treatment capacity to meet its 2030 target, with more than RM1 billion allocated to replace ageing pipelines and reduce water losses.

Federal framework for cross-border carbon transport needed

Abang Johari urged the federal government to establish a regulatory framework for the cross-border transport of carbon dioxide to support the region’s growing carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) industry.

According to the Borneo Post, he said Sarawak had received numerous applications from international companies, particularly from Japan and Singapore, seeking to use the state for carbon storage.

He said that although Sarawak has enacted its own CCUS laws, close coordination with the federal government is needed to address the complexities of transporting carbon dioxide across international borders.

“Sarawak has received a high volume of applications because we are one of the largest regions in terms of carbon storage capacity,” he said.

“For instance, Japanese companies such as Sumitomo intend to store their carbon in Sarawak waters, but there is currently no regulatory framework governing how the carbon can be transported here.

“This is a completely new issue that I have raised with the federal government. We have our own land and resource laws for CCUS, but it must be coordinated at the federal level because we are dealing with cross-border transport.”

He said the matter was also raised at the National Energy Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur earlier today, chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. - FMT