'Explain move to raise water tariff in Johor'
The Johor government must explain why consumers should pay more for treated water supply when the state already profits from selling raw water to Singapore and Malacca.
The Johor government must explain why consumers should pay more for treated water supply when the state already profits from selling raw water to Singapore and Malacca.
Labelling the move to raise the water tariff as “wrong”, the DAP’s Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching said this only shows that the BN has taken electoral support from Johoreans for granted.
She expressed disappointment that Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Maximus Johnity Ongkili had turned down her proposal to debate the Johor water tariff in Parliament yesterday.
In a statement today, Teo provided data to show that Johor earns RM230,000 and RM200,000 a month from selling raw water to Malacca and Singapore respectively.
In spite of this, Johoreans pay the highest tariff in Malaysia for treated water supply - 159 percent above the national average, she said.
For example, the first 35 cubic metres of water are priced at RM1.05 per cubic metre, far above the national average of 66 sen per cubic metre.
Industrial users pay RM2.80 per cubic metre for the first 80 cubic metres of water, or 210 percent more than the national average tariff of RM1.33 per cubic metre.
"The charges for raw water supply to Singapore have not seen an increase for the past 52 years," Teo noted.
As such, she added, it makes no sense for the Johor government to ask the federal government to review the water tariff in the state.
