Teo said he had met with the secretary-general of the federal rural and regional development ministry, Borhan Dolah, last Friday.
“I was glad to be given confirmation that the designs (for the two projects) were being finalised,” Teo said today.
“The tender process for both projects will be completed by April or early May this year, and work can start soon thereafter.
“Beside expressing my gratitude to the secretary-general, I also impressed upon him that these two projects must be treated as top priorities as the villagers have been enduring a lack of treated water all these years.”
The two projects are part of the ministry’s efforts to improve water supply to rural areas.
One involves the extension of a water piping system to Kampung Limau-Limauan, which also covers Kampung Parapat Laut, Kampung Malaman and Kampung Milau.
The other is a project to supply water to Kampung Suangpai.
Teo said it was frustrating for the villagers as they were not able to enjoy treated water from taps despite their villages being located beside the Milau dam-cum-water treatment plant.
“I actually raised this issue in the state assembly and proposed such projects during my first term as a backbencher.
“However, water pipes were only laid until part of Kampung Malaman to the exclusion of others.”
Teo, who is also assemblyman for Tanjong Kapor in Kudat, said he had checked with the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Office in March last year.
“I was given a written reply that RM21,000,000 was already approved and it was expected to be tendered in October 2017.
“It is a great disappointment to me, even more so to the villagers, that the tender process is still not complete.
“I remember that the relevant minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, also announced approval for this project when he officiated the Kudat Umno annual general meeting last year.”
For Kampung Suangpai, Teo added, villagers were still cut off from water supply as the pressure was not strong enough to handle the altitude.
“Therefore, there is a need to build a booster pump station, an elevated water tank, and a balancing tank, and also to expand the water distribution network.
“When I checked with the relevant authorities last year, I was told that the RM10,000,000 project could start by December 2017.”
The problem of rural water supply has been hotly debated by both Barisan Nasional (BN) and opposition leaders in Sabah.
BN leaders have accused former rural and regional development minister Shafie Apdal of failing to provide water supply in rural Sabah.
But Shafie, who is now president of opposition party Parti Warisan Sabah, has denied the accusation.
He insists his ministry fulfilled its responsibility of laying the water supply infrastructure, and that the state government was responsible for actually supplying water.