KUALA LUMPUR: The water tariff is expected to be increased this year, with most state governments having agreed to it, according to Water, Land Natural Resources Minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar.
He said the matter was still being discussed and the amount was yet to be finalised as the states had different tariff rates and some have not reviewed the tariff for decades.
“Most states have agreed. There are one or two states that do not agree, but we will discuss with them.
“However, I can give the assurance that it will not burden the people, and it will be of benefit for the people as there will be clean water to drink,” he added.
He told reporters this after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) and Indah Water Konsortium (IWK), here today.
Asked if the increase would be 20% as is being considered by Penang, he said: “We’ll see how ... there is still time for us to discuss the tariff rate ... 20% is too high, we can reduce it a little bit”.
He hoped negotiations between the Water Service Commission (SPAN) and the state government could be finalised soon for the new tariff to be implemented.
In addition, Xavier said the integrated or single billing system for water supply and sewage services in Labuan proved successful with collection increased to 93%, from 40%, since it was introduced in 2016.
He believed that if the system could be introduced nationwide, IWK would be able to cover its operation cost, hence enabling the governmment to reduce its subsidy of RM150 million a year.
“We can’t continue supporting them at this level and must find ways to resolve the IWK issue ... we see that wtih the joint billing, there is no problem for residents to pay,” he said.
Earlier, IWK, represented by its CEO, Faizal Othman, and FRIM director-general Datuk Dr Abd Latif Mahmod signed the MoU on the use of treated sewage waste as fertiliser for non-edible plants.
“It can be used for reforestation, in rubber plantations and decorative plants grown by local government authorities. We hope it can be commercialised one day,” added Xavier. — Bernama
