KUALA SELANGOR – A resort in Sekinchan appears serene amid green paddy fields, yet investigations reveal it had been benefiting from illicit water supply for a year.
Authorities found the premises were linked to an illegal connection that drastically cut its water charges, with bills dropping to as low as RM36 a month.
The same water theft activity was also detected at two other locations, namely a fishing pond in Desa Kemuning, Shah Alam and a logistics depot in Klang that used stolen water to wash lorries and excavators.
The owners carried out this modus operandi to gain huge profits by stealing water through illegal underground connections from the main pipeline.
But eventually, every cunning act was exposed.
Operational checks by the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (Petra), through its agency, the National Water Services Commission (Span), together with Air Selangor, uncovered activities that caused millions of ringgit in losses to the state water operator each year.
Sinar, which also followed the simultaneous raids at the three locations, reported that the operation was conducted after several weeks of technical monitoring following unusual drops in water pressure in the affected areas.
According to Span Strategic Communications Director Ts Mohd Fazil Ismail, the operation was coordinated after receiving reports from Air Selangor.
“Surveillance began from complaints by users and operators about a sharp drop in water pressure.
“Investigations showed suspicious connections at the three premises,” he told Sinar, recently.
He said Air Selangor’s technical team used a digital system to detect inconsistent water flow patterns.
He explained that unusually low meter readings compared to actual usage indicated that something was wrong.
After confirmation, a Span enforcement team obtained warrants and conducted raids with Air Selangor officers to identify the real source of water loss in the area.
600 metres of illegal pipelines
Inspection at the Sekinchan resort revealed fraudulent water usage, with an illegal pipe connection installed outside the perimeter fence.
The resort’s water bill had once dropped to RM36 a month, an illogical amount for a premises with more than 40 rooms priced between RM120 and RM500, complete with an event hall and cafe.
Based on average usage, the resort should have been paying around RM3,000 a month, considering it often reached 100 per cent occupancy during peak seasons.
Air Selangor’s earlier investigation found three pipes channelled into the premises, although one of them had been disconnected on the day of the raid.
The owner claimed to be unaware of the illegal connection, saying he had only started the business after taking over the building from a previous swiftlet-nesting operator.
Span and Air Selangor took nearly six hours to trace the actual illegal connection from the main pipeline located about 600 metres away.
Fazil said the owner would face action under Section 123 of the Water Services Industry Act 2006, which carries a penalty of up to RM1 million or imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both, if found guilty.
The premises was also found to have installed a water pump after the meter to draw water into the storage tank, a clear violation of Rule 45 of the Water Services Industry Rules (Water Reticulation and Pipe Installation) 2014.
The pump should have been installed after the storage tank and the owner claimed to be unaware of the offence.
“The operator (Air Selangor) previously received complaints about meter damage—five times. During this period, the meter had already been replaced twice.
“Suspicious of the repeated complaints, upon inspection, we found they had intentionally installed an additional pump that disrupted the actual meter reading,” Fazil said.
The second raid was carried out at the Desa Kemuning fishing pond, a popular spot for anglers in the Klang Valley.
Investigations found an underground illegal pipe used to channel water to the ponds without passing through a registered meter.
He explained that the premises consumed a large amount of water each day to replace pond water and clean the area.
Water supply to the premises was immediately cut off and the owner was instructed to settle outstanding charges before reconnection was allowed.
In the Klang raid, a logistics depot was found to be illegally siphoning water from an underground main pipeline to wash lorries and excavators at a project site.
Fazil said no registered meter connection was found and checks revealed the water was taken directly from the main pipe using a special connector.
He said industrial premises like this consume large volumes of water and when they stole water, it not only caused losses to the operator but also affected water pressure in nearby housing areas.
Sismas system tracking water theft
Fazil said each raid and all case evidence were recorded in the Span Integrity and Investigation System (Sismas) for verification and prosecution.
“This system ensures every case can be traced with technical proof and field photos.
“All evidence, such as pipes, connectors or damaged meters, is kept in official storage,” he said.
He added that water theft directly affected legitimate users when residential water pressure dropped without clear reason.
He said when industries stole large amounts of water, ordinary users ended up suffering and often blamed the operator, even though the real issue was the theft itself.
The situation also led to misunderstandings, with operators wrongly assumed to be mismanaging water supply.
Fazil clarified that the government, through Petra and Span, was tightening laws to curb water theft.
In addition to raising fines, authorities were also working with state operators to strengthen digital monitoring and water pressure alert systems across Peninsular Malaysia.
He stressed that every litre of treated water must reach legitimate and registered consumers.