TANAH MERAH: Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud said the water tariff adjustment which will come into force on Feb 1 will not burden the people.
He said the federal government, through the relevant agencies, have conducted comprehensive research before deciding to announce the new water tariffs.
"The government has been studying this issue thoroughly before announcing the adjustment.
"Even in Kelantan, the tariff adjustment review for water services in the state was last made many years ago," he said.
The Meranti assemblyman said Kelantan is ready to increase the water tariffs in the state accordingly.
State Works, Infrastructure, Water and Rural Development Committee chairman Datuk Dr Izani Husin yesterday said the water tariff adjustment, which will come into force on Feb 1 can help the development, upgrading, overhaul and maintenance of water supply infrastructure and improve clean water services in Kelantan
He said it would also have a direct impact on the quality of service to users, including dealing with supply disruptions and complaints related to water supply problems.
He added the tariff adjustment review for water services in Kelantan was last made in 2013.
He said during that 11-year period, operational costs for processing and delivering clean water to consumers, including the cost of repairs, chemicals, wages, electricity and lease for the project, have increased manifold.
It was reported that new water tariffs for domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan will involve an average increase of 22 sen per cubic metre, effective from Feb 1.
This adjustment is expected to impact approximately 6.9 million users in the domestic category, representing 86.6 percent of the 7.9 million account holders.
The 22 sen increase constitutes the average amount of increase for every 1,000 litres of water used.
The new water tariff is anticipated to result in an escalated billing range of RM1.60 to RM8 for each residence, or an increase of five to 27 sen per day for households using 20 cubic metres of water per month.