KOTA BHARU, Jan 23 — Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd (AKSB) is planning to replace 4,000 kilometres (km) of old pipes in the state, and it is expected to be fully completed by 2030, said its general manager Datuk Dr Azuhan Mohamed.
He said this is in line with the efforts of the federal and state governments to find solutions to water supply disruptions, poor water quality and low water pressure woes faced by Kelantan residents for decades.
He said the project involves a total of RM1.7 billion allocation and AKSB will try to secure the funding via grants from the federal government.
“We have aged water assets and need to replace problematic pipes with new ones. These old pipes are 35 to 40 years old and are not durable.
“On the whole, water pipes in Kelantan are over 8,000 km long and about 4,000 km are old pipes that need to be replaced as they are at risk of leaking,” he said in the ‘Kechek Khiro’ programme which was broadcast live via Klate TV’s official Facebook page today.
Commenting further, Azuhan said the water disruption issues in the state were due to the limited water treatment plants (LRA), and lack of facilities which limit water supply and affect the water quality to the extent consumers are getting rusty water.
To address the problem, he said two main LRAs in Tualang Dua, Kuala Krai, and Kampung Teluk, Bachok are expected to ready and operational in April or May this year.
“The Tualang Dua LRA and Kampung Teluk LRA have the capacity to supply 20 million litres and 30 million litres of water daily respectively to Kota Bharu and Bachok.
In the meantime, Azuhan said five mini LRAs will be built involving an allocation of RM30 million from state government and two of the plants in Ketereh and Teluk Besira, Kota Bharu are expected to be ready this year. — Bernama
