Water tariff adjustment minimal, not burdensome, says Terengganu MB

KUALA TERENGGANU: The water tariff adjustment for domestic users in Terengganu, which will take effect on Feb 1, is minimal and will not be burdensome, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

He said that about 73.8 per cent of households, on average use up to 40 cubic metres of water per month, will only see an average increase of RM1.80 to RM7.16 per month after the tariff hike, depending on consumption.

“The rate of increase is the lowest,” he told BK on Saturday (Jan 20).

Ahmad Samsuri, however, said that the state government will continue to provide subsidies and initiatives to households as proposed by the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) when announcing the new water tariff adjustments on Wednesday (Jan 17).

He added that the support or initiatives offered to households by state water utility Syarikat Air Terengganu Sdn Bhd (Satu) currently included a subsidy of 20 cubic metres for users in the B40 group.

“This subsidy involves 11,832 accounts with an annual cost of RM1,176,180.

“The total value of water provided free of charge by the state government has increased from RM8.40 to RM10 per month for each recipient account. However, the higher cost will be absorbed by the state government,” he said, encouraging those who are eligible and have not yet applied to submit the necessary applications.

At the same time, he said that the provision of water subsidies will also continue to registered mosques and surau involving 1,883 accounts worth RM1.4mil per year, making RM2.5mil per year borne by the state government for that purpose.

He also stressed that SPAN’s adjusted average increase of 22 sen per cubic metre is still not enough to cover the rising operational costs since the last review of water tariffs in Terengganu in 1997.

However, he said it would help Satu cover operating costs and continue efforts to improve service levels for 341,546 customers, 83 per cent of whom are households, from November 2023.

Recently, SPAN announced the 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 Feb 1. – BK