Rashid said the 40-year-old asbestos cement pipes have an actual life expectancy of only about 25 years.

Replacement of the aged pipes was important to reduce the rate of non-revenue water (water lost through leaks and other reasons) which had now increased to 34.8% of water produced, compared to 18.5% in 2017.

“Recently, economy minister Rafizi Ramli made an announcement about helping to overcome the issue of outdated water assets throughout the country.

“With some help, including funds, to assist the state government, we hope to be able to replace the dilapidated water pipes in Melaka,” he told reporters after the opening ceremony of a command centre of Syarikat Air Melaka Bhd.

The SAMB intelligent command centre unit, developed last year with an allocation of RM3.2 million, will monitor the collection and analysis of various operational data, Rashid said.