KOTA KINABALU, May 16 — The state government welcomes the federal government’s recent announcement that it will offer its assistance to resolve Sabah’s water supply issue, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

"The state government is in the midst of implementing our own plan to address the water woes, and with Putrajaya coming in to provide assistance, we believe the problem can be resolved quickly,” he said.

Hajiji in a statement today clarified that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim did not state that Putrajaya was going to take over management of the state water supply.

"What the prime minister meant was that the federal government is going to assist with the management of the problem by providing more substantial funding similar to the Kelantan water issue,” he said.

Hajiji said the government viewed the water supply problem in Sabah seriously.

"We will iron out all the issues during the meeting with the prime minister in order to reach a lasting solution,” he said.

The state has suffered perennial water supply issues for years, but the situation has worsened in recent weeks, causing water shortages in many regions, including urban and industrial areas.

This, along with power cuts and rising temperatures, has caused public discontent.