IPOH: The state government has yet to make any decisions to increase the water tariff but will find the best way to ensure the sustainability of the Perak Water Board (PWB) to continue to deliver water supply.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the state government was still in the midst of reviewing the matter whether to increase the water tariff or not.
“We are still reviewing the matter and have yet to make any decision, but we will have a method if there is an increase in tariff and we also have a method to ensure that it will not bring burden to the people,” he said in a press conference after paying a courtesy call on Perak Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) director, Datuk Mohd Fauzi Mohamad at the state MACC headquarters here today.
He was responding to the Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister, Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar who said that six states have agreed to increase water tariff rates in line with the government’s efforts to restructure the water supply services industry.
According to Dr Xavier, the water tariff nationwide should have been raised two or five years ago because it has failed to offset annual operating costs, putting some water operators in a financially difficult position to provide quality water services.
Ahmad Faizal said Perak was not among the six states which have agreed to increase the water tariff as reported.
“We only agreed to ensure that the state government continues to provide better water services and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the company,” he said.
