No decision to hike water tariffs, says S'gor MB

SHAH ALAM - The state government has yet to make a decision on water tariff hike, says caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amiruddin Shari, after Air Selangor today urged the state government to review the tariffs for its over 9.1 million Klang Valley consumers this year.

"The state government has not decided whether to increase the water tariff," Amiruddin said in a statement.

He also assured that his administration's primary focus was to support the economic well-being of the people rather than imposing additional burdens on them.

"I refer to some news reports that say that the water tariff in the Klang Valley will increase this year.

"The water tariff is a basic matter that needs decision-making and approval from the state administration.

Until now, the state government has not made any decision to increase the water tariff in Selangor," he clarified.

Earlier, Air Selangor acting CEO Abas Abdullah said that he hoped the government would review water tariffs for its consumers in the Klang Valley this year as the revenue the water services operator recorded last year was insufficient to cover its costs.

In 2022, Air Selangor made significant strides in integrating sustainability into its governance, financing, and business operations.

Abas further said the increase in revenue in the previous year was a result of the economic recovery following Covid-19 restrictions and tariff adjustments.

Abad had said Air Selangor recorded an income of RM2.45 billion in 2022, a 12.38 per cent increase from the previous year's RM2.18 billion.

"However, this increase is insufficient to cover operational costs and capital expenditures, which will eventually impact the long-term operations of Air Selangor.

"After 17 years without any increment, it is now time to review and raise the domestic water tariffs at a reasonable rate," he was quoted by Harian Metro.

The tariffs play a crucial role in ensuring that Air Selangor does not bear the full burden of operational costs and capital expenditures, particularly those associated with water infrastructure.

In a recent statement, Amiruddin had said the state government's ongoing commitment to strengthen the water service system, which caters to over 8.4 million residents in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya.