In the wake of the water tariff going up this year, state government like Selangor is looking to assist lower income household by offering free water, however uptake hasn’t been that encouraging.
The Selangor government said is targeting 500,000 applicants for its Skim Air Darul Ehsan (SADE) initiative and has called on more households to participate in the programme. Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the current number of eligible beneficiaries for the free water scheme stands below 300,000.
“We are assisting those in need through improved methods, distributing it directly to individuals rather than through household premises. Even if an individual moves out of their rented house, they are still eligible to continue with the scheme.
“We are targeting between 400,000 and 500,000 account holders, but until now, the registered figure hasn’t reached 300,000,” he said.
Amirudin said the approach is part of the state government’s efforts to ensure its welfare aid reaches the targeted groups.
He said the free water scheme was revised in 2021 as the state government had previously allocated nearly RM200 million annually. However, the current expenditure for the initiative is between RM40 million and RM50 million.
“Despite the new water tariff, the state government can still sustain its free water programme. Furthermore, we are also able to extend it to places of worship,” he added.
On January 18, Amirudin said the state government has agreed to absorb the increased cost of water usage for over one million consumers following the tariff adjustment announced by the National Water Services Commission (SPAN).
He said this involves 285,673 low-income account holders who are current participants of the free water programme, resulting in an additional subsidy of RM5.5 million a year to SADE beneficiaries.
Amirudin also stated that the state will absorb the increase in water tariff for houses of worship and welfare homes in Selangor, which will set the government back RM2 million.
He said the total cost incurred by the state administration is estimated at RM40 million each year.
On January 17, SPAN announced that water tariffs for domestic users in the peninsula and the Federal Territory of Labuan would be adjusted effective February 1, involving an average increase of 22 cents per cubic metre.
It said the tariff hike could no longer be delayed so as not to affect the sustainability of the water service industry in the long term, thus impacting the quality of water supply services.
Households earning RM5,000 or less are urged to register for SADE to enjoy up to 20 cubic metres of free water.
