Water meter policy introduced in Tawau
Tan says no penalty will be imposed for registering with Dept
Tan says no penalty will be imposed for registering with Dept
TAWAU:
Consumers in the district have been advised to register with the State Water Department as soon as possible to get their water meters. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah assured the consumers that no penalty will be imposed on them during registration. Speaking at the introduction of a water meter policy here, Tan who is also the Infrastructure Development Minister, said the move would ensure the reduction of non-revenue water experienced in the district. “They will not be punished when they register and those who have been enjoying free water over the years are advised to do so or face the consequences of their action,” he said, adding that the registration was simple as the consumers only need to provide the Water Department with their residential address. “I don’t think there are only 27,000 registered consumers in Tawau because I believe there are more than 60,000 consumers in the district,” he said. The unregistered consumers are also using water like their registered counterparts and the Government is suffering a great loss because they are using free water, he pointed out. Tan also disclosed that the 72 percent of non-revenue water recorded in Tawau is extremely high and it is caused by water theft and leakages from old and damaged pipes. Tawau, he said, is lucky in a sense that it has sufficient water supply and its residents are not affected like those in Sandakan. “Therefore, I have spent RM20,000 to resolve the problem by having the old and damaged pip fixed in order to save up to 8.1 million liters of water per day within seven months. This way Tawau will save up 20 million liters water a day in two years time,” he said. The Minister also instructed the district’s Water Department improve its customer service encourage the consumers to come forward to pay their bills.
