KUCHING: Every household in Sarawak will enjoy free water for the first RM5 of the monthly domestic water bill, which is equivalent to about 11,300 litres of free water, effective Jan 1, next year.
The state government will subsidise the cost of water and electricity for the rakyat in its efforts to provide an equitable level of basic amenities to all households in Sarawak.
The State Utilities Ministry said in a statement here today that about 600,000 households with domestic accounts across Sarawak will benefit from the programme.
The free water programme, which will cost the state government RM40 million per year, will help reduce the financial burden of the rakyat, especially for those in the low income group, B40.
Apart from that, the Sarawak government will also be subsidising the cost of new electricity connections for low income urban households.
New connections costing up to RM5,000 will be provided free by the state government for such households.
Meanwhile, for new connections costing above RM5,000 up to RM10,000, the state government will subsidise 70 per cent of the connection cost.
An allocation of RM8 million has been allocated for the initiative and estimated to benefit 2,200 households in 2020.
Presently, free electricity connections are provided for the residents in villages and longhouses in the rural areas via the Additional Late Applicant Funds (ALAF) and the Rural Electrification Schemes (RES).
At the same time, effective Jan 1, 2020, the tariff for abstraction, taking, drawing of raw water from any stream, river, water courses or subterranean sources, as stipulated in Part VII of the Fourth Schedule of the Water Supply Regulations 1995, will be increased from the current one (1) sen per cubic metre to two and a half (2.5) sen per cubic metre.
In addition, the tariff for taking or impounding of water from any river or stream for generation of electricity or electrical energy as stipulated in Part VIII of the Fourth Schedule of the Water Supply Regulations 1995, will also be increased from the current one sen (1) per kWh to two and a half (2.5) sen per kWh of electricity generated.
The increases in the tariffs will generate more revenue for the implementation of infrastructure projects in Sarawak.
It is estimated that there will be a 2.5-fold increase in revenue from water royalty from the estimated current amount of RM220 million to about RM550 million for the year 2020.
The increases in the tariffs will only affect the utility service providers such as Kuching Water Board, Sibu Water Board, LAKU Management Sdn. Bhd. and Sarawak Energy Berhad.
They will not affect the general public as there will be no change in both the electricity and water tariffs. They are anticipated to benefit the rakyat because the spin-off effects will outweigh the additional costs incurred by the service providers.