PENANG Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) is undergoing rapid digitalisation to reduce operating costs and improve the quality of its services.
PBAPP plans to install smart meters for about 800,000 consumers, starting this year in Balik Pulau for 2,000 households.
PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan told a press conference that RM2.5 million has been set aside to install the meters for every household as part of a broader digitalisation effort.
"With digitalisation, we can save costs in the long term. We can reduce the deployment of meter readers, and billing can be conducted every month."
Currently, users in some locations are billed every two months. Following the revision of water tariffs earlier this year, some consumers have complained of hefty water charges.
"With the digital meters, we can revert to monthly billing. But even now, the billing is accurate and reflects water charges for two months instead of one," said Pathmanathan.
Pathmanathan said the current billing method was necessary to save costs because of an acute shortage of meter readers.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has defended PBAPP's bi-monthly billing method.
Some parties, including some government backbenchers, have voiced their concerns over the charges, which they said were too steep. – May 26, 2024.
