GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan is against the water tariff increase in Penang, citing that Penangites have not been provided with good water supply services.
State Gerakan chairman Oh Tong Keong also demanded to know the Penang Water Supply Corporation's (PBAPP) reason for the water tariff increase, despite the fact that the corporation earned over RM100 million each year despite poor service performance.
"It is unreasonable for the water tariff to increase at a time when the prices of things are on the rise.
"The state government should not be adding to the burden of the people," he said today.
Yesterday, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said Penang was still enjoying the lowest water tariff in the country despite the new water tariff announced by the National Water Services Commission (Span).
He said this was an opportune time for the increase after what the state went through during the scheduled water supply disruption from last week.
He said there was a need to implement new water infrastructure works to ensure Penang remained a water-resilient state, and additional revenue from the new water tariff
could go towards that.
Penang would finally see a hike in water tariff rates after 31 years following Span's tariff adjustment announcement for domestic users in the peninsula and Labuan.
(Hyperlink: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/01/1002438/penangs-water-tariff-...)
Oh also criticised the inefficiency and integrity of PBAPP when dealing with water supply disruption, drawing examples of how it failed to fulfil its promise to restore water supply in certain areas in the southwest district, affected by an unscheduled disruption last month.
He said PBAPP had said that water supply would be restored in 24 to 48 hours but in certain areas, they stretched right up to a week.
Oh said, according to PBAPP's financial report for June 2023, its profit after tax for the 2022 fiscal year was RM77.12 million.
"This shows that it is getting almost RM100 million annually. It receives profit but fails to provide good water supply services to the people.
"Therefore, it is completely unacceptable for the authorities to increase the water tariff.
"The people want the authorities to instead give a discount on the water bill to cover the economic losses of the people for the period of water supply interruption instead of increasing the water tariff and burdening the people," he added.
A scheduled four-day water supply disruption from Jan 10 left some 590,000 consumers without water for up to four days.
Meanwhile, Water Watch Penang president Professor Datuk Dr Chan Ngai Weng said, given the excessive past and current water usage in Penang due to its lowest water tariff rates in the country, Water Watch Penang had always supported a water tariff review via encouraging Penangites to save water towards creating a "Water Saving Society" to replace the current "Water Wasting Society."
He told the New Straits Times that a water tariff review was certainly overdue and justified.
He, however, said if the aim of the tariff review was about ensuring the sustainability of water moving towards wise water usage and water saving amongst water consumers, then the first 20 cubic metres (considered the basic amount needed for an average household) should remain the same at RM0.22 per cubic metre.
"I have been told that this band has not been raised for 30 years. So what? Isn't it all the better for the state government if it is maintained, as it will show that the state government puts people first instead of profits?
"This will also ensure that those conserving water are not penalised, but rewarded.
"I agree that once a household uses more than 20 cubic metres, they should be charged at the cost of production, or more," he added.
Chan said it was good that the state government had a discounted rate for poor households with eight or more people.