GEORGE TOWN – The Penang government should shelve plans to increase water tariffs, which is expected to affect 75% of residential accounts.
Penang MCA secretary Yeoh Chin Kah said the proposed increase was high and had angered the community.
“The increase in water bills for household consumers is between RM3 and RM15 based on total water consumption.
“For example, Mr Lim who lives in George Town uses 25 cubic meters of water every month, and the current monthly water bill is RM6.70.
“After the water tariff is increased, the bill will be RM16.50, an increase of RM9.80 or an increase of 146%,” he said.
His comments came after the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) issued a statement saying that the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) would conduct a public consultation to revise water tariffs which were proposed in 2019.
“Commercial users will see an increase of RM3 to RM18.80, and a maximum increase of RM69.19 for those who use more than 100 cubic metres of water monthly, ” said Yeoh.
On Monday, PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa said it had applied to revise water tariffs in Penang to increase sufficient funds for capital expenditure to handle raw water risks and ensure sustainability of water supply by the year 2050.
Jaseni said the revision wiil be based on the Tariff Setting Mechanism approved by the federal government.
He said Penang is not the only state involved in the public consultation by SPAN as other states such as Kedah, Perak, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Johor are also involved.
According to data, Jaseni said Penangites consumed 845 million litres of water daily in 2020 and this is expected to rise to 1,884 million litres by 2050.
Yeoh said traders and the people were facing economic pressures, and the state government should provide assistance instead of disappointing them.
“A public inspection of the water tariff increase is being made on the (PBAPP) website until June 6, 2021. People of Penang, please submit your objections online.”
Currently, Penang’s domestic water tariff for the first 35,000 litres per month at RM0.32 per 1,000 litres is the lowest in Malaysia, while the business water tariff for the first 500,000 litres at RM1.36 per 1,000 litres is the third lowest in the country. – The Vibes, May 26, 2021
