KUALA LUMPUR: The government should have carried out improvements in the water supply services and infrastructures in the country especially in the Klang Valley before making adjustments to the water tariffs.

The call by AJ Rimba coordinator Surinder Singh came on the heels of the announcement by the government on the adjustment to the water tariffs, which will came into force starting Feb 1.

"The government should look into replacing old corroded pipes that cause sediments and chlorine pile up, into newer pipes before hiking up and adjusting tariffs.

"This annoying discharge occurs regularly when there's a pipe leakage which needed repairs.

"Isn't there is a law to replace old pipes when it reaches a certain age?

Maintenance is much to be desired whilst increasing tariffs always seems the easy way out of any predicaments," he told the New Straits Times.

Earlier today, Deputy Energy Transition and Public Utilities Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir had announced that the new water tariffs would help water concessionaires streamline their services.

The new water tariffs for domestic users would involve an average increase of 22 sen per cubic metre, effective from Feb 1 and is expected to impact approximately 6.9 million users in the domestic category, representing 86.6 percent of the 7.9 million account holders.

The 22 sen increase constitutes the average amount of increase for every 1,000 litres of water used.