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How flat dwellers can cut
water bills
14/03/2008 New Straits Times By
Jennifer Gomez
KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly half a million apartment dwellers in the Klang Valley
and Putrajaya are paying up to about 2.5 times more in water bills than they
actually have to.
This is because the condominiums and apartments that they live in have yet
to convert to the individual meter use from the bulk meter system.
According to Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) executive
director (finance) Thein Kwee Sin, multi-storey residential buildings are
imposed a flat rate of RM1.38 per cubic metre under Code 17 of the Syabas
Water Tariff Code.
These include condominiums, apartments and flats (other than low-cost flats)
that are registered under a management company, management corporation,
developer, resident association and other relevant parties.
Conversion to individual accounts with Syabas would mean that they would be
charged only 57 sen per cubic metre for the first 20 cubic metres, the rate
that landed homes, including bungalows, pay under Code 10.
"This means that for a household that uses 20 cubic metres of water, they
would have to pay RM11.40 if they are charged the domestic rate and RM27.60
if they fall under Code 17. The rate is more than double," she said.
Thein declined to detail reasons behind the delay in converting all the
apartments into individual accounts, but stressed that Syabas was more than
willing to facilitate the conversion.
"We have publicised the fact that we want apartment residents to have their
own accounts with us. It is now up to the MCs (management companies or
corporations) to just sign the form and submit it to us and we will start
working on the application," she said.
Thein said that it cost more for Syabas because additional manpower was
needed to read the individual meters but added that they did not want
disgruntled consumers.
"We get a fair number of calls from apartment owners asking us why the water
supply has been cut, but half the time, it is not us who cut it but the MC
or RA (residents association) through the bulk meter system," she said.
Thein declined to elaborate on the reasons behind MCs' cutting water supply,
but is well-known that these parties use water as their bargaining tool with
the residents, for instance, in the event that residents do not pay
maintenance fees.
In some cases, the MC may not have settled their water bills with Syabas,
which is usually a large amount. |
