The Penang state government is extremely concerned by the statement made by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel yesterday of the likelihood of El Niño or prolonged warming in the Pacific Ocean, developing in the second half of this year that will worsen dry weather conditions. Palanivel said that the likelihood of El Nino was disclosed by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre’s (ASMC) during a recent conference in Brunei and rainfall is expected to be below average for most parts of the southern region until end of the southwest monsoon season in early October.
I have asked Penang State Secretary Datuk Farizan Darus to request a special briefing from Palanivel’s Ministry to Penang State EXCO, on the likelihood of El Nino causing reduced rainfall until October this year. The unusually long drought has caused water rationing to be imposed not only in Selangor and Johor but also in Taiping, the wettest town in Peninsular Malaysia.
Further Penang’s high domestic usage of water of 311 liters per capita per day, 50% higher than the national average of 212 liters per capita per day was simply not sustainable. Under such challenging circumstances, we cannot continue with “business as usual”. The Penang state government has to act responsibly to take preventive measures to avoid water rationing.
Even Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water Datuk Seri Maximus Johnity Ongkili commented on our domestic water usage as the highest in the country when rejecting our application that the Federal Government undertake the RM300 million Sungai Perak Raw Water Transfer Scheme to increase our available water supply. Maximus even said that Penang can stretch our available water supply resources if we cut down on our high domestic water usage.
The Penang state government therefore made the conscious choice to avoid the risk of water rationing at all cost by reducing high domestic water usage through increasing water tariff rates. Our previous efforts in education and imposing Water Conservation Surcharge(WCS) to penalise those who waste water has not worked. I can appreciate the unhappiness of Penangites over price hikes but the state government feels that this is preferable to water rationing.
We beg to differ with some who oppose the proposed water hike by saying that the rakyat prefers water rationing to increased costs. This blithely ignores the nightmare of inconvenience and suffering of those who face water rationing in Selangor who can attest to spending much more in daily expenses because of water rationing.
We believe in the freedom of choice. The Penang state government chooses to avoid water rationing by reducing our high domestic water usage. The choice is simply to pay more if you use more water so that the public as a whole can avoid the risk of water rationing.
This is different from raising sugar prices because the crony companies still benefit by enjoying their profits. In contrast Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang(PBAPP) is owned by the state government and will use the proceeds for water projects for the people’s benefit and continue to subsidise domestic water. Last year PBAPP subsidised nearly RM70 million for the lowest domestic tariff in Malaysia.
We regret that the mainstream media has adopted the BN line, especially MCA and Gerakan, in blindly opposing the price hike as unnecessary and dismissing the threat and sufferings of water rationing. Despite the increase in population and more development in the last 6 years compared to the previous 18 years, Penang continues to have the best water supply management with a Non-Revenue Water(NRW) at 17.6% in 2012 as compared to the national average NRW of 36.4%.
For this reason NGOs have clamoured for us to drastically hike up domestic water rates. Some have even opposed us giving a 60% discount of Water Conservation Surcharge(WCS) for families with 8 or more members. However, the state government feels that a discount of WCS is necessary because we have to listen to the public and slowly get them to accept the need to reduce high water usage. The state government has listened to the various comments made and gives an assurance that the proposed domestic water tariff hike will not affect those who save water but only those with high domestic water usage.