PENDANG, May 28 — A total of RM930,978 collected under the National Water Endowment Fund has been distributed to finance 23 small scale water supply projects nationwide between December 2020 and May 15 this year.
Deputy Minister of Environment and Water, Datuk Mansor Othman said Kelantan received RM332,281, the highest allocation from the fund to finance seven projects followed by Pahang (RM248,175) for five projects.
In addition, he said, three projects were implemented in Selangor involving RM102,652, three projects in Kedah (RM102,343), three projects in Perak (RM100,750), and one project in Johor (RM34,776) and one project in Negri Sembilan (RM10,000).
“A total of 19 projects are still being implemented which are expected to be completed between next month and this July which will benefit over 12,000 residents nationwide who have been facing water supply issues.
“These projects specifically serve the communities needing water supply and we co-operate with the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) in the matter,” he said.
He said this to reporters after visiting a water endowment project in Kampung Padang Durian here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Mansor said the Water Endowment Fund which was launched on Dec 17, 2020, has collected nearly RM4 million.
The fund was set up by the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) in cooperation with Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia (YWM) and aimed at providing an easy, fast and sustainable alternative financing for water endowment projects for the benefit of all regardless of race and religion.
“The Water Endowment Fund is a structured scheme providing a platform for all quarters to discharge their responsibility in collecting endowment funds in the water supply sector.
“It is to finance small scale water supply projects costing below RM50,000 such as purchasing pump equipment, replacement parts and providing one-off maintenance,” he said.
KASA is planning to expand the project to Sabah and Sarawak with the funding ceiling limit of under RM75,000 for every project, Mansor added. — Bernama
