Source: NEW STRAITS TIMES-Nation, 2 October 2007

IPOH: Imagine turning on your tap and getting water that is as good as bottled water bought from the store.
This will soon be true for Perak folk who will no longer need to go further than their taps for quality drinking water.

“It won't be the yellow or brownish water from the tap, but will it be equivalent to the bottled water that we buy? At one point, we will not need to go for mineral water any more. Just turn on the tap and drink,” said Perak Water Board chairman and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali.

While the current water quality satisfies standards set by the World Health Organisation, the PWB would be working towards attaining the European Union's standards for water quality, he said after chairing the board's meeting yesterday.

By 2010, profits for PWB would exceed RM100 million for the first time in history, he said, attributing it to being able to buy water at 19 sen per cubic metre from April 2009, compared with the current price of 40.5 sen.

“There won't be a reduction in tariffs, but we will give better facilities,” he said.

Pre-tax profit from Jan 1 to Aug 31 this year was RM45.25 million, an increase of 39.9 per cent compared with RM32.34 million during the same period last year, largely due to the 15 per cent increase in tariffs, he added.

PWB was expected to rake in about RM72 million in pre-tax profit by the end of the year, and about RM47 million for next year, as corporatisation cost were estimated at RM24.3 million, he said.

The board tabled a 2008 budget amounting to over RM389 million, with 55.32 per cent or RM215.23 million for operational expenses and 35.55 per cent or RM138.30 million for development.

Tajol Rosli said 9.13 per cent of the budget or RM35.52 million was to repay loans, an increase from this year's payment of RM21.77 million.

On non-revenue water, he said the first eight months of this year recorded the loss of NRW at 30.6 per cent, compared with 30.2 per cent for the whole of last year.

While there was a general reduction of NRW in most districts, Larut, Matang and Selama saw an increase from 38 per cent to 39.21 per cent, believed to be due to water being stolen to supply to boats and ships at berth, he said.

“NRW should be less because we are working all year round (to fix leaking pipes), but it is going up. Something is not right.”

Thieves were also stealing water meters for their brass components, he said, adding that an average of 250 meters disappear every month.

Tajol Rosli said PWB was also looking into introducing separate billing for flat dwellers, instead of issuing a single bill to the flats' management committee.