KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — The public need not worry about the new water tariff adjustment for domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan starting February 1, but should instead be more efficient in optimising water usage at home.

National Water Services Commission (SPAN) Corporate Communications and Consumer Affairs director Mohd Fazil Ismail said that not everyone will feel the impact of the average increase of 22 sen per cubic metre because based on data, approximately 47.8 per cent of domestic users recorded usage of less than 20 cubic metres (per month).

"... taking into account that state governments are also continuing initiatives to provide targeted subsidies to users through their programmes, we expect that existing users will not be affected by any increases.

"... so if there are users who are not in the targeted group but use less than 20,000 litres, the overall impact of the adjustment is minimal,” he said when appearing as a guest on the Malaysia Petang Ini programme broadcast by BernamaTV.

He advised users to switch to water-efficient products under the Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme to discipline water use and also described the move as a win-win situation for users and environmental sustainability.

"For example, previously when performing ablution, we might use about 5 to 7 litres of water, but using a water-efficient product with three stars will release only 2 to 3.5 litres per minute.

"So, this proper water usage can avoid wastage while reducing monthly bills. In this case, we call it a win-win situation where users can help preserve the environment with wise water usage and minimise their bills,” he said.

Earlier, SPAN announced that the adjustment is implemented under the Tariff Setting Mechanism, where the water tariff structure and components are standardised for states in the Peninsula as well as Labuan, and will be reviewed every three years to ensure consistency in payment determination.

According to SPAN, the water tariff adjustment, reflecting the cost of water supply, is crucial to enable water operators to improve service levels in continuously providing quality water.

The new water tariff is expected to involve an increase in bill charges ranging from RM1.60 to RM8 for each residence, or five to 27 sen per day for household usage of 20 cubic metres per month. — Bernama