A developer of a 35-storey apartment in Taman Sri Rampai, Setapak was discovered to be stealing water after the residents in the area complained about the low water pressure in their houses.
To check what was causing the problem, the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) conducted an operation on Wednesday (25 May).
They found out that the developer’s monthly water bill was 50 percent less than what it should be as it had been using an illicit connection over the past three years.
“The investigation also found that there were two water supply connections installed near the construction site there, including one which did not pass through a meter, and the action had caused Syabas to incur losses of about RM44,000,” said Amin Lin Abdullah, Corporate Communications Head of Syabas.
“Chlorine tests also showed that the water supply stolen was treated water belonging to Syabas, and until today, 16,189 cubic metres of water had been used for the construction and kongsi houses for the construction workers in the area.”
Following the operation, Syabas issued a notice of notice of demand to the company and is seeking compensation for the unauthorised use of its water.
Aside from that, the developer would face legal action, added Loh Pit Mui, Senior Executive of SPAN’s Communications and Consumer Affairs Unit.
If found guilty under Section 123(1) of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655), the company’s executives could be imprisoned for up to one year and/or pay a fine of not more than RM100,000.
Image: Sourced from The Malay Mail Online
Mangalesri Chandrasekaran, Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email mangales@propertyguru.com.my
