Restaurant owner shocked over excessive water bill

The Star, Friday March 1, 2013

Story and photo by OH ING YEEN
ingyeen@thestar.com.my

Own initiative: The shop next to Ravindrakumar’s restaurant has resorted to hiring contractors to fix the low water pressure problem.

 

A RESTAURANT owner in Taman Jelita, Kajang is shocked over his water bill totalling RM10,000. The bill is for four months in total but P. Ravindrakumar, 46, said it should not be so high.

He said the high charges could be due to leakage.

He explained that he had complained to Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) numerous times about low water pressure in the area.

“When I turn on the tap here, there will be no water at another tap. Syabas finally came to check and discovered a leakage underground. I asked for a discount but was refused.

“Syabas then sent contractors to fix the leak but I had to pay the contractors RM1,800,” he said, adding that it was unfair that he had to bear the cost.

He said water quality was also poor and that he had to install two water filters.

He said the operator of the shop next door had also hired contractors to fix the low water pressure problem.

Sally Au, an employee, said they started facing problems only recently, after the office upstairs was occupied.

Ng Kah Wei, whose family operates an eatery a few doors away, said they had been facing the same problem for about 10 years now.

“We complained to Syabas many times and although they replaced the pipes, the situation has improved only slightly,” he said.

Syabas corporate affairs executive director Abdul Halem Mat Som said pipes within the owner’s premises were not their responsibility.

“If there is damage to pipes outside the premises, we will repair it. We provide water, we do not fix or sell pipes,” he said.

He also advised consumers to contact Syabas if they noticed a sudden increase in their bills.

“If your water bill is usually RM300 and you are charged RM3,000 even though there was no increase in usage, call Syabas immediately and we will look into it,” he said.

Abdul Halem said he would look into the complaints of Taman Jelita residents.