THE Selangor government has no plans to revise the water tariffs in the state, caretaker Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said.

He said water is a basic need, and any plan to revise the tariffs will have to be endorsed by the state administration.

“Up to now, the state government has not made any decision on revising the water tariffs,” he said.

“The focus of this administration is to support the economic well-being of the people and not burden them.”

Amirudin said the state government is committed to ensuring water supply to the 8.4 million residents in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya is improved.

The last time the state allowed a tariff revision was in 2006.

Air Selangor charges domestic customers 57 sen per cubic metre for the first 20 cu m, RM1.03 for the next 15 cu m and RM2 for usage above 35 cu m.

Amirudin’s statement comes following Air Selangor’s call for the tariffs to be revised.

Air Selangor acting chief executive officer Abas Abdullah told reporters this afternoon that it was necessary for the water tariffs to be increased in stages to ensure there is an equilibrium between its annual revenue and expenditure.

He said Air Selangor registered RM2.45 billion in total revenue last year versus more than RM5.14 billion in operational and capital expenditures.

While last year’s revenue showed an increase of 12.38% compared to 2021 (RM2.18 billion), the company’s total expenditure exceeded its revenue.

“Despite an increase in revenue, total expenditure exceeded total revenue, which indicates that further water tariff reviews are necessary for the company to achieve financial sustainability,” Abas was quoted as saying at the press conference. – July 4, 2023.