People want quality water supply

SHAH ALAM - People demand the state water operator to improve the quality of water supply services following the tariff adjustment involving an average increase of 22 cents per cubic meter effective February 1.

A private company administrative executive Mohd Elmy Mohamad, 42, said priority should be given to replacing, upgrading and maintaining dilapidated pipes which were often the cause of water loss and low water pressure problems.

"This increase will be worth it if all citizens can get uninterrupted clean water supply all the time in all places in the country," he told Sinar.

Private worker Harpreet Kaur Sidhu Kertar Singh, 29, was concerned that the measure would not guarantee that consumers would receive a quality water supply.

Harpreet said there had been an issue of water supply disruption for so long even though the tariff had been increased due to the management and maintenance of the infrastructure still not being upgraded.

Meanwhile, Choo Chiew Lee, 24 who is working as a nurse was worried that the increased water tariff would only add a burden to people in the B40 group because it would increase the cost of expenses, especially in the city.

"Even now there are many taxes that have been introduced and now coupled with the increase in water tariffs, people's lives are becoming harder," he said.

In Kelantan, a retired police officer, Shamsudin Daud, 64, said that people in this state often face problems with water supply and quality.

"In addition to paying bills every month, I had to spend RM1,400 to buy a pump and filter to increase the water pressure and to ensure that the water is not cloudy.

"Because this tariff adjustment involves an increase in costs for consumers, Syarikat Air Kelantan Sdn Bhd needs to ensure that the quality of their services is improved," he said.

In Kedah, a civil servant, Abdul Malik Abdul Aziz, 43, thinks that the tariff adjustment could improve the infrastructure and operations of the water company, but the water quality must be clean, not cloudy and silty while the service is more efficient.

He said the water supply problem must be at an appropriate level with the increase borne by the users.

Another civil servant, Huzaina Hashim, 49, does not agree with the increase in water tariffs because of the high cost of living at the moment.

"Any increase, even a small one, will burden the household and the price of goods will also rise," she said.

Meanwhile, a lecturer, Helmee Firdaus, 40 who hailed from Pahang said the tariff adjustment was appropriate but should be postponed until a suitable period.

He said this was to aid system targeted at domestic consumers such as giving rebates for low-income groups is streamlined.

Whereas in Penang, a public relations officer, Zeenat Ali, 35, said that the new water tariff in the state was still reasonable but hoped that the supply service would be improved by reducing the frequency of interruptions.