Opinion | Sabah water crisis: time for state politicians to live up to promises

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Water Crisis in Sabah, Malaysia

Introduction

It has been nearly two months since taps ran dry for as many as 150,000 residents of the semirural district of Papar in Sabah on Malaysian Borneo, as an El Nino-induced drought forced the shutdown of a major water treatment facility due to a shortfall in usable raw water.

The Water Crisis

The facility along the Papar river – a key source of raw water for the district – had to be shut down in mid-February as low river levels allowed seawater to travel 13km upstream to where the plant was located and contaminate the raw water supply.

Response from Authorities

The response from the authorities was a mixed bag. In early March, Deputy Chief Minister Shahelmey Yahya dismissed claims of a water crisis, telling reporters it was only a “shortage” caused by climate change and delays in water-related projects.

Just days later, local authorities declared a drought emergency and mobilised an army of trucks carrying water tanks to send water to the main town and dozens of villages in the vast district nearly twice the size of Singapore, while the government scrambled to restore supply.

Underlying Issues

If one were to do a quick scan of news headlines on water supply in Sabah over the past few years, it would show this was a crisis waiting to happen. Total water reserve margins in Sabah state fell to just 7 per cent in mid-2023 as El Nino set in, exacerbated by increasing urban water usage, leakages from decrepit infrastructure and illegal tapping – as claimed by the state government – by squatter colonies that house hundreds of thousands of economic migrants from neighbouring Indonesia and the Philippines.

It is a long-standing problem, with successive state administrations pointing the finger at their predecessors for failing to do their jobs and accusing rivals of alleged corruption in their handling of hundreds of millions of ringgit in past fund allocations meant to solve Sabah’s water issues.

Disparities in Access

The current state government had said climate change could trigger future crises if nothing was done to fix Sabah’s ailing water infrastructure. But this was just lip service for residents who have had to deal with regular water rationing long before the current crisis.

The affected water treatment plant along the Papar river, which the district’s MP said earlier this week is back in operation, is supposed to serve as an emergency facility to back up the primary plant further upstream. Instead, the emergency plant became the primary supplier for areas within its serviceable radius, due to low output from the main facility.

The situation is symptomatic of deep disparities in access to basic infrastructure between urban and rural areas in Malaysia’s second-largest state. The UN said in January, only 80.5 per cent of Sabah’s estimated population of 3.6 million had access to safely managed drinking water, compared with the national average of 95 per cent. The rate was just 61 per cent in some rural areas in Sabah.

Impact of Adverse Weather Events

The effects of increasingly frequent adverse weather events are not limited to Sabah. The current heatwave has so far killed one person in Pahang state in Malaysia’s peninsula and Malaysia and Singapore saw the return of haze last year, with both countries pinning the cause on forest fires in Indonesia.

But blaming the weather will do nothing to help better the lot of millions of people still bereft of access to basic amenities such as potable water and stable electricity supply, more than six decades after Sabah helped form the Malaysian federation.

Conclusion

Earlier this year, the federal government approved 400 million ringgit in total allocations to manage Sabah’s perennial water issues. The time for finger-pointing is over. It is time for Sabah’s politicians to show and tell.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The article discusses the water crisis in Sabah, Malaysia, where taps ran dry for as many as 150,000 residents due to a drought-induced shutdown of a major water treatment facility. This issue directly relates to SDG 6, which aims to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The article highlights the disparities in access to basic infrastructure between urban and rural areas in Sabah, Malaysia. This issue is connected to SDG 11, which focuses on creating sustainable cities and communities by ensuring access to adequate housing and basic services.

SDG 13: Climate Action

The article mentions that the water crisis in Sabah was caused by a drought induced by El Nino, which is a climate-related hazard. This issue is relevant to SDG 13, which aims to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

– Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
– Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
– Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

– Percentage of population with access to safely managed drinking water.
– Percentage of population with access to basic sanitation services.
– Percentage of population with access to basic infrastructure in urban and rural areas.
– Number of people affected by climate-related hazards and natural disasters.
– Number of deaths caused by climate-related hazards and natural disasters.

These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets by tracking the availability of clean water, sanitation services, basic infrastructure, and the impact of climate-related hazards on the population.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: scmp.com

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