SANDAKAN, Jan 6 — The Sabah Works Ministry (JKR) plans to implement sewerage maintenance service charges in the state to ensure the sewerage system is at the optimum level.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, who is also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, said laws for this purpose would be enacted to consolidate sewerage bills with water bills.

"In Sabah, we do not have an act for the collection of sewerage payments. We will come to that stage one day (for sewerage payments) because sewerage is very important as anywhere in the world, they place importance on health,” he told reporters after officiating at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sandakan sewage treatment plant and sewerage pipeline construction project, here, today.

Bung Moktar said the sewerage charges would not be too high so as not to burden the public, but the people must be responsible for ensuring their common well-being.

He also asked the State Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment to see how the method could be extended to water villages.

He said it could either be in the form of providing awareness on health and hygiene to the community or encouraging homes to use proper toilets which have a piping system that can channel sewage to the sewerage system.

The project, valued at RM221 million, is expected to be completed in 2025 and will benefit about 70,000 residents. — Bernama