Tan says Chow should bear full responsibility for the extended water supply disruption in Penang.
INSTEAD of raising water tariffs, Penang should fix its burst pipes first, says MCA vice-president Tan Teik Cheng.
Tan, who is also the state’s party chairman, said the proposal to increase water tariffs was uncalled for and urged Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to empathise with residents’ misery caused by unscheduled water disruption due to burst pipes.
“Dry taps continue to affect certain areas in Penang, some for over five days, yet Chow still deems it fit to propose increasing water tariffs for households,” Tan said in a statement on Wednesday.
Tan said Chow, who is also Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chairman, reportedly said Penang needed to impose a new water tariff, as other states had begun doing so.
Tan said there was public outrage at the proposal and that “Chow’s temerity to mull spiking the water rates is baffling”.
Tan said the state needed to plan and coordinate matters methodically and strategically, rather than making announcements at the spur of the moment.
He questioned why, at a time when Penang households are facing water disruption, “Chow want to raise their water tariffs”.
Tan said as chairman of PBAPP, Chow should bear full responsibility for the scheduled 24-hour water cut in Penang that stretched to more than five days, leaving residents high and dry.
“Penang folk are already panicking over the scheduled 96-hour water disruption next month.
“If a 24-hour water cut can end up stretching to more than five days, one can only wonder how long the planned 96-hour water cut could extend to,” he added.
Tan pointed out that PBAPP implemented water fee adjustments for non-domestic and special groups in Penang last January.
Frogmen diving in Sungai Perai to carry out repairs on the ruptured water pipe on Dec 20. — Penang Water Supply Corporation
“As the DAP-led Penang state government intends to adjust water charges next year and use domestic household water charges as the basis, is this state government still worthy?”
He said Chow should ensure ruptured pipes are repaired properly to minimise inconvenience to Penang residents, instead of proposing to raise water tariffs.
“Chow needs to cease raising water tariffs.
“On the contrary, he needs to devise ways to repair the burst water pipes within the shortest time possible.
“Ideally, planned water cuts should be executed separately across different areas and times, and the water supply in each area should be disrupted for only a few hours.”
On Monday, Chow was reported as announcing that treated water had been fully restored to all consumers affected by the burst pipe in Sungai Perai.
He said supply had been restored to all 200,000 consumers whose taps had been dry since Dec 18 after a section of the 1.35m-wide pipe had burst.
