KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 16 -- Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has given his assurance that Sabah's persistent water supply issues will be resolved next year.

According to Berita Harian, the prime minister said the federal government had increased development spending for Sabah by RM1 billion to address the long-running problem.

"That's why we increased the allocation. How much for water? RM1 billion. Next year, God willing, Sabah's water problems will be resolved," he reportedly said during a keynote ceramah at a hotel in Putatan yesterday.

Sabah has grappled with chronic water supply disruptions for more than a decade, largely due to ageing infrastructure, high non-revenue water losses and delays in upgrading treatment plants and pipelines.

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