KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — Negri Sembilan will not raise water tariffs for at least the next two years despite a federal advisory for a rate revision, The Star reported today.

The Pakatan Harapan state government felt raising the utility rate now would be inappropriate, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun was quoted as saying.

"Although the federal authorities had proposed an increase, we don’t think this is appropriate for now,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting at Wisma Negri yesterday.

"For now, the rakyat is the priority and we shall look into their interest first."

Just last month Aminuddin had said the state needed to raise water tariff for the state water company, Syarikat Air Negri Sembilan, to provide quality treated water. The company also needed to pay its debts.

The last time Negri Sembilan revised the domestic rate was 18 years ago, The Star reported. Industrial tariff last increased in 2015.

Aminuddin had said that a marginal increase was necessary to fund the construction of another water treatment plant in Jelebu, estimated to cost hundreds of millions of ringgit.

The Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry and the National Water Service Commission (SPAN) had justified the need for an increase, in a briefing prepared for Aminuddin’s administration recently

The regulators proposed to increase domestic consumption tariff from RM11 to RM12.40 for every 20 cubic metres of treated water.