GEORGE TOWN, June 6 — The rebate providing the first 10,000 litres of water for free per bill over six months beginning next month, will benefit 597,000 registered domestic water consumers in Penang.

Penang Water Supply Corporation (PWSC) chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan, stated that the anticipated impact on its revenue from July to December would be approximately RM11 million.

"PWSC will not charge Penang domestic water users for the first 10,000 litres in each bi-monthly domestic water bill from July to December, as directed by the Penang state government council meeting, with domestic water bills issued bi-monthly.

"Those who consume more than 10,000 litres over two months will save RM6.20 per bill, totaling three bi-monthly bills, resulting in savings of RM18.60 for each consumer over the designated six-month period,” he said in today’s statement.

He explained that the temporary measure of not charging for the first 10,000 litres applies solely to domestic water usage in Penang during the specified period and does not apply to non-domestic, domestic bulk metres, shipping, religious and welfare institutions categories.

Pathmanathan clarified that for the RM20 rebate for the Family Friendly scheme for large households, i.e., eight people or more, the public can obtain application forms from the PWSC website and at all their customer service counters.

He explained that the criteria for this scheme require all occupants to reside at the same address, with their identity cards showing identical addresses.

"Furthermore, household income for the B40 group must be RM5,580 or below, as per the household income survey report for Penang 2022, and the necessary documents must be verified by the Village Community Management Council, village head, or district office,” he added.

Yesterday, the state government called on PWSC to provide a rebate in the form of the first 10,000 litres of water for free for six months on water bills, and to extend the RM20 Family-Friendly scheme for larger households.

Previously, consumers in Penang were surprised by a significant increase in their water bills, with most experiencing spikes of over 100 per cent to more than 150 per cent since the adjustment of domestic water tariff in February. — Bernama