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Sarawak's first 700km-submerine cable system, data centre to improve Internet connectivity across State including rural areas

Sarawak's first 700km-submerine cable system, data centre to improve Internet connectivity across State including rural areas   Abang Abdillah (second left) presenting a token of appreciation to Julaihi. Also seen are Smith (left) and Busiai (right).   KUCHING, Sept 6: Sarawak’s first 700km-submarine cable system via Batam, Indonesia which forms a data superhighway and its Tier IV Data Centre in Santubong, the only one in Malaysia with zero downtime, will play a major role in Sarawak’s digital transformation, especially to improve and provide high speed Internet connectivity across the length and breath of the State including in rural areas. Minister of Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Julaihi Narawi emphasised this during the launching of both the Batam Sarawak Internet Cable System (BaSICs) and Santubong Date Centre which have been completed by a Kuching-based telecommunication company, irix, at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today. “For Sarawak to realise its vision to become an advanced, developed and high income State by 2030, the whole of Sarawak must be fully connected. “With improved Internet access and latency (delay before a transfer of data begins) issues to be  a thing of the past, we believe these two important infrastructures will have a positive impact on Sarawak and Malaysia, and felt throughout the region especially in this part of the world,” he  said. In line with the Sarawak government’s efforts to move the State forward speedily as laid out in the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, Julaihi foresees that these two major infrastructures will take Internet connectivity in Sarawak to the next level which will in turn enable greater digital participation among Sarawakians, businesses, industries and all other economic sectors. “I hope it will give more advantages to all the industry players to participate in the digital economy, and this will present a huge opportunity for us which I believe will accelerate our economic development by 2030. “I also believe it will attract more international investors to come over to Sarawak and position Sarawak to become a preferred destination for investors,” he said. Julaihi also expressed confidence that the BaSICS and Santubong Data Centre will support the development of initiatives under Sarawak Linking Urban Rural and Nation-Sarawak Rural Broadband Network (Saluran-MySRBN) and National Digital Network Plan (Jendela) in the future. Meanwhile, PP Telecommunication (PPTEL) chief executive officer Dr Jonathan Smith said Sarawakians can look forward to improved Internet access, enhancing quality of life and potential for such endeavours as e-commerce, hybrid work arrangements and enjoying online  entertainment for Sarawakians, and eventually, the rest of Borneo and Kalimantan. “For this to happen, a strong Internet backbone connecting Sarawak to the wider world needs to be in place. “This is what we, as irix, are endeavouring to do. Today, we see the next chapter in our story —  the launch of our Batam Sarawak Internet Cable System (BaSICS) and our Tier IV Data Centre at Santubong,” he added. BaSICS submarine cable is an underwater cable that connects Sarawak to the regional telco hub of Singapore via Batam in Indonesia. It consists of six fibre pairs, each with 80 wavelengths of 100Gbps transmission capacity, with a total system capacity of 48Tbps. The Santubong Data Centre is the first Tier IV facility in Malaysia as per certification by Uptime Institute for meeting the stringent requirements in infrastructure functionality and capacity, security, safety and energy usage and most importantly, redundancy. It means data will always be safe and accessible and will never be offline, making it a highly reliable source for Internet content, whether Internet banking, social media or just watching movies. The two facilities form an initial phase of the Sarawak International Internet Gateway, in line with the aspirations of the Sarawak state government’s Digital Transformation Programme. Meanwhile, the event also witnessed the signing ceremony between PPTEL and Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd (SAINS), for a client agreement with Smith representing irix and SAINS by its chief operating officer Busiai Seman. “We look forward to working with further partners in this industry, such as ISPs and mobile carriers, to utilise our infrastructure and are actively working to establish additional partnership and collaborations for further expansion of our networks,” Smith said on the signing ceremony. irix chairman Abang Abdillah Izzarim was also present.  

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Kesabaran tunggu bekalan air bersih tidak sia-sia

Penduduk di Sungai Moyan Segah Lorong 6, dijangka menikmati kemudahan asas itu dalam tempoh terdekat KUCHING: Kesabaran menunggu lebih dua tahun untuk mendapatkan bekalan air bersih nyata tidak sia-sia bagi penduduk di Sungai Moyan Segah Lorong 6, dekat sini apabila mereka dijangka menikmati kemudahan asas itu dalam tempoh terdekat. Pada masa ini, kerja penyambungan paip sepanjang 500 meter ke kawasan berkenaan sedang giat dijalankan sejak minggu lepas dan menurut Pengerusi Majlis Perbandaran Padawan (MPP) Lo Khere Chiang, ia dijangka siap dalam tempoh dua minggu lagi. Jelas beliau, projek berkenaan dilaksanakan oleh Lembaga Air Kuching (LAK) dengan kos sebanyak RM160,000.   “Saya amat berterima kasih kepada LAK kerana menunaikan harapan penduduk di sini untuk menikmati bekalan air bersih,” katanya kepada pemberita semasa mengadakan lawatan ke kawasan projek berkenaan, semalam.   Kini hanya terdapat empat buah rumah di Sungai Moyan Segah Lorong 6 tetapi pemilik tanah di situ adalah seramai lebih 10 orang.   Berbeza dengan kawasan lain di sekitarnya, cuma Sungai Moyan Segah Lorong 6 sahaja yang tidak disalurkan dengan air bersih sebelum ini menyebabkan penduduk di situ perlu bergantung kepada air hujan.   Justeru, Lo amat menghargai kesabaran yang ditunjukkan penduduk di kawasan itu. “Penduduk di sini tidak ‘bising’ kerana mereka percaya kerajaan akan melakukannya (menyediakan bekalan air bersih) dan kesabaran mereka akhirnya tidak sia-sia apabila akan menikmati kemudahan ini tidak lama lagi,” katanya.   Dengan bekalan air bersih tersebut, penduduk di Sungai Moyan Segah Lorong 6 kini menikmati kemudahan asas yang lengkap kerana mereka sudah dilengkapi dengan bekalan elektrik dan jalan raya.   Salah seorang penduduk Chong Boon Kiam, 65, berkata dia sangat gembira dengan kemudahan tersebut.   Bekerja sebagai petani, Chong bersama keluarganya telah tinggal di situ selama 25 tahun.   Sehubungan itu, Lo kemudian menyeru penduduk di kawasan MPP supaya bersabar dalam menyelesaikan isu di kawasan masing-masing.   “Tidak dinafikan, terdapat banyak isu di kawasan MPP tetapi ia harus diselesaikan menerusi saluran yang betul di mana kita berbincang dan melakukan perancangan untuk menyelesaikannya,” katanya. Read more:  http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/03/03/kesabaran-tunggu-bekalan-air-bersih-tidak-sia-sia/#ixzz2vowanHTQ

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Naik taraf loji air Bayai siap 80%

SRI AMAN: Menteri Muda Pembangunan Luar Bandar dan Perumahan Datuk Francis Harden Hollis memberitahu projek naik taraf Loji Perawatan Air Bayai di sini kini sudah mencapai 80 peratus siap.  Menurutnya, baki 20 peratus lagi melibatkan kerja-kerja pendawaian elektrik dan mekanikal dan dijangka siap sepenuhnya pada Jun depan. “Apabila sudah siap kelak, Loji Perawatan Air Bayai bernilai RM43 juta ini akan dapat memproses air bersih pada kapasiti 33 juta liter sehari (MLD) berbanding kapasiti sedia ada iaitu 13 MLD. “Ia secara tidak langsung akan dapat menampung penggunaan seramai 60,000 pelanggan selain memenuhi permintaan tambahan daripada penduduk Sri Aman pada masa akan datang,” katanya. Beliau selaku Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Simanggang berkata demikian ketika ditemui pemberita pada Program Lawatan Ke Loji Perawatan Air Bayai Bersama Ketua Kaum di situ, semalam. Sementara itu, kata Harden, kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) meluluskan peruntukan sebanyak RM2 juta untuk menukar paip AC lama kepada paip HDPE yang lebih berkualiti di Sri Aman. “Projek menukar paip AC kepada HDPE bagi peringkat Fasa I ini akan tertumpu di kawasan Jalan Resak, Taman Bayu, Jalan RTM Lama dan beberapa kawasan lain di kawasan bandar Sri Aman,” jelas beliau. Buat masa ini, katanya, pihaknya sedang menunggu proses tender yang memakan masa selama dua bulan. Setelah tender diberi kepada syarikat terpilih, maka baharulah projek menukar paip terbabit akan dilaksanakan, tambah beliau. Turut hadir pada lawatan itu ialah Jurutera Bahagian JKR Sri Aman Cassidy Morris dan Timbalannya Noor Ismail Razali, Timbalan Pengerusi Majlis Daerah Sri Aman Kaunselor Sawing Sumar, kakitangan JKR Sri Aman dan ketua kaum. Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/03/22/naik-taraf-loji-air-bayai-siap-80/#ixzz2xhm5Hyex

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‘Most longhouses have power, water supply’

BALINGIAN: Most of the Iban longhouses and villages in Balingian constituency now have access to electrify, treated water and good roads, disclosed Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal. As such they had no reasons to support the opposition candidate whom he described as ‘outsider’, he added. “BN is putting up a well qualified and experienced local candidate in the person of Yussibnosh Balo as our candidate. And if you elect him, he will surely be able to bring more development to your area. “And since his wife is an Iban, he surely will assist you even more,” Shafie said when launching the rural electrification scheme (RES) at Rh Umin, Sg Liok, here yesterday. There are around 3,800 registered Iban voters in Balingian out of the total 13,366 registered voters. He added that the government had spent RM1.7 mill for the RES in the area which had benefited about 360 people from five longhouses. The longhouses are Rh Bangan, Rh Manggi, Rh Randi, Rh Kasit and Rh Umin. He also revealed that the government had allocated some RM60 mil for basic amenities for Balingian state constituency from 2010 till 2015. Shafie stressed that under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the Federal Government wanted holistic development in the rural areas. “We will also implement ways on how to improve the livelihood of the people in the rural areas besides providing the basic amenities like water, electricity and roads,” he said. Among the challenges faced by the government to develop the rural areas are the physical and geographical factors of the rural settlements in Sarawak, he said. “Because of that we are using various methods how to implement basic amenities to isolated settlements especially to the longhouses. For instance, if we want to connect treated water to a longhouse which is hundreds of km away from the water treatment plants, then that is going to be very costly. “So we are coming up with a new technology in water treatment which is using the ‘live-saver’ method where we treated water from rivers or ponds by using ‘nano’ technology,” explained Shafie. As for electricity, he said the government is now using sources from either hydro micro or solar energy. “In some areas we even use wind turbines,” he said. Shafie said he was confident that the people in Balingian would vote for the BN candidate in the coming poll slated for March 29. “Balingian voters are a mature lot. I am confident that they will support us. The PKR slogan such as ‘justice for Anwar’ is not relevant here,” he said referring to the conviction of Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was convicted of sodomy by the Court of Appeal recently. Shafie also supported the state government’s decision to bar racial and religious extremists from entering Sarawak as it would ensure continued stability and peace in the state. Meanwhile Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment and Minister of Public Utilities Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said some 80 per cent of the state’s population in the rural areas had access to the RES and another 90 per cent had access to clean and treated water. He disclosed that under the NKRA, the Federal government had allocated some RM1.7 bil to implement RES and another RM1.7 bilfor treated water. Read more:  http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/03/25/most-longhouses-have-power-water-supply/#ixzz2xhn7GH00

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Another wish fulfilled — upgrading of water treatment plant

MUKAH:The water treatment plant here will be upgraded to meet the increasing demand from local consumers, revealed Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan. Awang Tengah who is also Minister of Public Utilities said the Mukah water treatment plant was upgraded a few years ago but the capacity has reached its limit due to the increasing number of consumers particularly the influx of workers to Mukah due to the rapid industrialisation brought about by Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE). “It was upgraded in the last few years. And I know the need to upgrade the plant. I can’t give you the details capacity off-hand but definitely there is an increasing demand because Balingain sub-district will be connected from here. So there is really a need for us to upgrade the present capacity,” he reiterated. “The present water capacity is not enough to meet the increasing demand of the water supply, and because of that certain areas are facing low water pressure. “Anyway we have a plan to upgrade the water treatment plant in Mukah as well as to improve the distribution of the system here. We are also taking into consideration the latest development here,” Awang Tengah told the media at meet-the-people-session at Kpg Penakub Cina, some 8km from here yesterday. He said the government was also aware of certain parts of Balingian sub-district facing low water pressure. He said besides the needs of the ordinary consumers, the Regional Corridor of Development Authority (Recoda) which is based here had also sought federal funding to upgrade all related infrastructure under its jurisdiction. “I understand that Recoda is also requesting for fund from the federal Government and Mukah is one of the areas under the Sarawak Corridor of renewable Energy (Score). So it is our priority to upgrade our water treatment plant here in Mukah and to increase its capacity,” he said. Better distribution of treated water especially in Balingian sub-district is one of the seven wish-lists of the local people which has been highlighted by The Borneo Post even before the by-election was announced. Awang Tengah has assured the voters in the Balingian that government would look into their needs. Among the seven wish lists, four of them have been answered and committed by the government. These four are: bigger airport for Mukah, a secondary school for Balingian sub-district and a new primary for Kpg Tellian Tengah and an upgraded water treatment plant for the area. Meanwhile, Awang Tengah reiterated that the government had appointed a contractor to build the first phase of the new Mukah Airport. “As announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently, the new Mukah airport will be implemented in stages. For the first state, the Federal Government has allocated RM133 million for earth-works and the contractor has also been appointed to implement it,” he said. Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/03/22/another-wish-fulfilled-upgrading-of-water-treatment-plant/#ixzz2xhnrjiu9

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Manage water supply prudently, authorities told

  BINTULU: Everybody needs water. As such, those responsible must endeavour to provide adequate, reliable and quality water to all consumers at all times.   Thus, the water rationing in several states in Peninsular Malaysia should serve as a reminder to the water authorities in Sarawak on how important it is to manage water supply prudently all the way from the raw water source to the treated water at the consumer’s tap, said Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.   Speaking at the opening ceremony of the third edition of Sarawak Water Supply Retreat 2014 themed ‘Optimising Demand Management for Water Supplies in Sarawak’ at ParkCity Everly Hotel here yesterday, the Minster of Public Utilities and Industrial Development said it is a fact that water authorities in many parts of the world, including Malaysia, were faced with increasing challenges in terms of quality and quantity of water resources.   “Water scarcity is affecting every continent, brought about by climate change due to global warming, wastage of water and pollution of water resources amongst many other causes,” he said.   Climate change, rapid population growth and urbanisation, industrialisation, water quality, diminishing freshwater resources, non-revenue water and aging infrastructures, he said, are all taking their toll on the water supply systems.   “Whilst our population is rapidly increasing, water resources have remained constant, with the water quality deteriorating due to pollution.   “Therefore, there is an urgent need for improved water conservation, methods for managing water demand and technologies to reduce water wastage,” he said. He pointed out that water demand management has been defined as a management approach that aims to conserve both the quality and quantity of water by controlling demand.   “It aims to increase water efficiency through both wise use and reduction, which in turn will reduce or postpone the need to build more infrastructures such as treatment plants, dams, reservoirs and distribution systems,” he added.   A more holistic water demand management, he said, should cover the management of water demand in all sectors of the state including municipalities, industry, tourism, agriculture, forestry and other activities of importance.   It has been estimated that about 70 per cent of the earth surface is covered by water and less than one per cent of the water on earth can be used as drinking water, therefore it can no longer be taken for granted even in our country which has a tropical climate with very high annual rainfall, he pointed out.   The United Nations, he said, has warned that most of the countries in the world are not yet prepared for the adverse impacts of climate change that are already taking place on a global scale.   The UN report has confirmed that the effects of climate change are already widespread and consequential, affecting water supplies, human health, agriculture and ecosystems among others, he added.   “The Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre in Singapore has predicted that another dry spell longer than the current one as experienced in Peninsular Malaysia is expected from June until October this year, lasting about five months.   “In this situation, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels but be ever vigilant and ready so that we would not be caught off-guard, thus we must be ready to put in place all necessary contingency measures,” he advised.   He also hoped the four-day water supply retreat would produce some good ideas to meet the needs of domestic consumers and industrialisation taking place in Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy. About 90 participants are taking part in the retreat.   Among those present were Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Water Supply) Datuk Sylvester Entri, Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Electricity and Telecommunications) Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi and permanent secretary of Ministry of Public Utilities Ubaidillah Abdul Latip. Read more:  http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/16/local-news-coming-soon-booking-minits-16-april-33/#ixzz308rKmpfr

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Simunjan to have no more water woes soon

  KUCHING: There is good news for the people of Simunjan especially those who will be celebrating Gawai Dayak this year as they will be finally free from water woes.   The good news was announced yesterday by Assistant Minister of Resource Planning Datuk Naroden Majais. “I am going to push for it (treated water to Simunjan) before Gawai Dayak this year. This will be something special for those who are going to celebrate it,” Naroden told the media at his office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday.   The issue of Simunjan water woes has been plaguing the coastal town for a long time and has been hogging the media limelight almost annually especially during dry spells as the town’s water treatment plant could not supply enough treated water to the some 30,000 town dwellers.   The Borneo Post has been following the issue since the Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT 2013) trip to the town and other coastal towns in July last year.   “With the Sageng Bridge across Batang Simunjan almost completed, in fact we expect it to be completed by July this year, we hope the water mains could be connected across the bridge sooner than that,” Naroden said.   Thus, when the water mains from Gedong is connected to Simunjan across the Sageng Bridge, treated water for Simunjan town would be supplied from both the Slabi water treatment plant in Serian, (via Gedong) as well as from the existing Simunjan water treatment plant.   “For the time being I hope that there will be plenty of rain so that the people will have enough water. I ‘kasian’ (pity) my people,” said the Simunjan assemblyman.   Naroden explained that the delay in the supply of treated water from Slabi treatment plant was mainly due to the construction of an 18km road from Gedong to Simunjan which included two bridges. The whole project costs RM120 million.   “The road has been completed. So is the other bridge crossing Batang Skrang. And both Batang Skrang and Batang Simunjan bridges cost RM40 million each,” he disclosed, adding that the whole project started two years ago.   However, Naroden stressed that to stabilise the water pressure to reach Simunjan, there was an urgent need to build a high-level water tank either at Slabi itself or at Gedong.   “We need the high-level water tank so that there is enough pressure for the water to reach Simunjan as the distance is quite far,” Naroden said, adding that the new water supply from Gedong to Simunjan was using an 18-inch diameter water main.   He disclosed that the water connection project from Gedong to Simunjan cost RM20 million to implement. The project started last November. Read more:  http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/16/local-news-coming-soon-booking-minits-16-april-26/#ixzz308s6Klkl

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Entri: Gravity-feed water supply initiative a ‘has been’

  BELURU: DAP’s effort to use ‘Impian Sarawak’ to provide gravity-feed water supply to rural folks pales in comparison with the government’s initiative in providing treated water to the people.   Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Water Supply) Datuk Sylvester Entri said the DAP was making a big deal out of what they had done with ‘Impian Sarawak’.   “We have already moved on to nano technology, such as Lifesaver M1 filtration system,” he said when launching the system at Rumah Ramba in Sungai Liam, Bakong, and Rumah Abon in Tinjar yesterday.   He said the government could easily implement gravity-feed system by providing materials such as pipes to the local community, but this was not a tangible long term solution.   “DAP’s rural push to provide gravity-feed water by just providing pipes is merely replicating what we have done a long time ago. They are merely aimed at gaining political mileage.”   A single unit of Lifesaver M1 unit, he pointed out, could provide clean drinking water for 20 households. This project comes under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development.   Some 80 of such systems would be implemented in 78 longhouses and settlements in Marudi constituency, where Entri is its assemblyman.   Meanwhile, Entri urged the ministry to reconsider its distribution criteria. For instance, he said, longhouses having between 35 and 38 doors ought to be given two units of the system. “What is another few doors short of 40 when compared to practical rural needs in Sarawak.” He also said it would be more practical to provide the individual jerry can filtration system instead of the current single unit system.   “These individual jerry cans can be brought from inside the individual ‘bilek’ (room) to the source of water in the river or to farms.”   On the Lifesave System, Entri advised its recipients to maintain it well in order to prolong the lifespan of the filtration system.   “Good management at village or longhouse level is critical for system to last.”   A spokesman from the contractor, Dr Rajiv Bhanotn, said up to 540,540 gallons of water from rainwater or other sources could be treated by the nano filtration system. It is safe for drinking without cooking. Read more:  http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/13/entri-gravity-feed-water-supply-initiative-a-has-been/#ixzz308spP3V9

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Murum water at minimum operating level

KUCHING: The 944 megawatt (MW) Murum hydroelectric project (HEP) is expected to be fully operational by early next year, says Sarawak Energy’s vice-president (Hydro Section) Polycarp Wong. He said impoundment of dam had now reached its minimum operating level of 515m (above sea level).   “This is certainly a key milestone for the Murum HEP impoundment. Thanks to good rainfall, the impoundment is well ahead of schedule.   “This is the level (515m) where there is, theoretically, sufficient water volume to begin operation of the HEP. Our team is currently preparing for the testing and commissioning of the turbines.   “We expect the HEP to be in commercial operation in early 2015,” Wong said yesterday.   Serving as one of the power sources for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), Murum HEP is set to provide clean and renewable energy to all Sarawakians, as well as SCORE’s customers.   The project is also expected to spur development in the surrounding areas by providing better connections, education, healthcare, infrastructure and amenities to the indigenous communities living along the reservoir of the HEP.   Work on the RM4 billion Murum HEP started on Oct 1, 2008, while its impoundment was carried out on Sept 21 last year.   Murum HEP Dam is the second mega-dam project after the Bakum HEP Dam. It is located about 70km upriver from Bakun HEP Dam, which started transmitting power on Aug 6, 2012. Read more:  http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/11/murum-water-at-minimum-operating-level/#ixzz309Bvy2Wq

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Awg Tengah in Dubai for investment meeting

KUCHING: Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan recently led an entourage to attend the fourth Annual Investment Meeting at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.   A press statement issued from Dubai said Awang Tengah, who is also Public Utilities Minister and Industrial Development Minister, attended the three-day meeting upon the invitation of United Arab Emirates Economy Minister Sultan Saeed Al Mansoori.   Those in the state entourage included Assistant Minister of Industrial Development (Investment and Promotion) Datuk Julaihi Narawai, State Planning Unit (SPU) director Datu Ismawi Ismuni, Ministry of Industrial Development permanent secretary Datu Liaw Soon Eng, Ministry of Public Utilities permanent secretary Ubaidillah Abdul Latip and Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) general manager Datu Sarudu Hoklai. Also present were officers from STIDC, SPU, Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) and the Ministry of Public Utilities.   The meeting, which started on Tuesday, ends today. Read more:  http://www.theborneopost.com/2014/04/10/awg-tengah-in-dubai-for-investment-meeting/#ixzz309DMh5r2