AMENDMENTS TO WATER SERVICES INDUSTRY ACT TO ENHANCE REGULATION - FADILLAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- Amendments to the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655) will enhance the regulation of the water services industry, thus enabling critical issues to be addressed promptly, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said the proposed amendments aim to ensure the act remains relevant and equipped to meet future national demands.

"After more than 18 years being in force, several areas of improvements have been identified, which involve amendments to existing provisions and the introduction of new policies.

"This move is crucial to ensure the act remains relevant in line with current developments and continues to meet future needs of the country's water services industry," he said when tabling the Water Services Industry (Amendment) Bill 2024 for its second reading in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Fadillah said the primary purpose of the amendments is to address frequent incidents of water source contamination that disrupt supply and inconvenience users.

"The bill focuses on 13 provisions in the existing sections, emphasising heavier penalties and the listing of new offences," he said.

The proposed amendments include provisions allowing courts to order polluters to bear the cost of restoring the water supply system.

It also aims to amend Section 121 of Act 655 to make it an offence for any individual to contaminate water sources, leading to temporary cessation or closure of the water supply system.

The bill also proposes increasing penalties as a preventive measure, considering the significant impact of water supply system contamination on users, as well as the inclusion of a new subsection (1A) under Section 61 of the act to prohibit the discharge of prohibited effluents and other substances into septic tanks.

-- BERNAMA