Only for registered account holders

Apartment dwellers who pay water bill to management office not entitled to RM5 subsidy, says minister

KUCHING: Consumers without any registered account for domestic water bill are not entitled to the RM5 water subsidy, says Minister of Utilities Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi.

He said consumers, especially apartment residents, would have to be registered account holders in order to enjoy the benefit.

Presently, apartment dwellers pay their water bills to their respective management offices and not directly to the various water boards.

“Apartments through their management are based on one domestic meter and (the bill) will be captured as a single client or consumer. As such, you must be registered as a consumer with an account number (to enjoy the RM5 subsidy),” he said when contacted by The Borneo Post yesterday.

Dr Rundi explained that if the tenants did not have individual accounts, they would not be registered with the water authorities and as such, the subsidy would go to the property owner.

He said the deduction would be made directly by the water boards such as Northern Region Water Board (Laku), Kuching Water Board (KWB), Sibu Water Board (SWB) and Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB).

This, he added, would benefit a ll domestic account holders in the state, including those from the B40 group who are mostly rural domestic consumers.

Assistant Minister of Utilities (Water Supply) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, meanwhile, told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday, that the eligibility of apartment residents for the water subsidy would depend on the category of the water meter of their respective management offices, as classified by the water supply agency.

When tabling the 2020 State Budget in November last year, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg announced that about 600,000 households would enjoy free water for the first RM5 of their monthly bill, with a total allocation of RM40 million.

The programme, which took effect on Jan 1, should benefit those from both the rural and urban areas.

“This programme will help to reduce the financial burden of the people,” the chief minister had said then.

Apartments through their management are based on one domestic meter and (the bill) will be captured as a single client or consumer. As such, you must be registered as a consumer with an account number (to enjoy the RM5 subsidy).

Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi