KUCHING: Sarawak is targeting to increase the coverage of rural electricity supply to 95 per cent of the state’s rural population from the current 66 per cent under the National Key

Results Area (NKRA) for rural basic amenities, said Public Utilities Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of Planning and Resource Management II, said 1,144 projects were being implemented at a cost of RM1.7 billion throughout the state.

“This involves additional connection of electricity supply to about 77,000 houses while 14,729 out of the 19,000 targeted households have been connected,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

On rural water supply, he said 457 projects were implemented at a cost of RM1.73 billion as part of efforts to increase coverage to 90 per cent from 59 per cent at present, that is to 90,000 additional houses.

At present, 6,379 households or seven per cent of the target had been connected with water supply, he said.

Up to July this year, 41.5 per cent of the projected 889 kilometres of rural roads had been built, involving the implementation of 163 projects costing RM2 billion, he said. — Bernama

(Source: The Borneo Post, 15 September 2011)