Dr Xavier Jayakumar (Independent-Kuala Langat) said Putrajaya was forced to pay Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) up to RM100 million a year to manage the wastewater system.

He urged MPs across the aisle to support his call for the tariff rates to be increased in order to reduce the amount of money the government has to pay IWK annually.

“If you have to pay RM100 million a year, in five years that will accumulate to RM500 million which could have been used on other projects or programmes, whether for education, health or research.

“Why not raise the tariffs a bit so that water bills go up by RM5 to RM10?

“I was made to understand that in Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle, people buy apartments worth millions of ringgit but only pay RM8 to IWK.

“This is not fair. So I suggest that we review the water tariffs,” he told the Dewan Rakyat while debating the 12th Malaysia Plan today.

In December last year, environment and water minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had said it was not the right time to raise the water tariffs as the people were still reeling from the economic effects of the pandemic.

While he acknowledged that the rates had not been reviewed for a long time, he said calls for the water tariffs to be increased should be put on hold.

During his speech, Xavier also touched on the need to transform the water industry, calling for cooperation across the board, including among state governments.

He added that Malaysia was rich with resources, such as raw water and underground sources, which should be made use of.