Residents: Make own meters compulsory
30/05/2007 The Star

THE authorities should legislate guidelines to make it compulsory for management corporations (MCs) of high-rise residential buildings to migrate from bulk water meters to the individual metering system.

This is the view of Petaling Jaya Section 5 Residents Association president Edward Lee.

“Currently, the MCs have the option whether to migrate to individual metering or not.

“If they think it is it too much for them or if they prefer not to migrate then nothing could be done and residents would still be stuck with the existing situation,” he said.

“I am sympathetic with the MCs for the heavy responsibility placed upon them but in the end it is the residents who have to suffer,” he said.

On Monday, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) held a briefing on the newly-released guidelines for migration to individual meter for high-rise residential units.

A switch to the individual metering system will allow residents at high-rise units to enjoy lower water rates compared to the existing bulk metering system.

However, the decision to migrate would still be up to the MCs. Some see this as a setback in adopting the new individual metering system.

The Condominium Apartment High-rise Committee (CAHC) pro tem chairman Tengku Nazaruddin Zainuddin said the authorities should not require a 100% agreement from residents as part of the terms and conditions for the migration.

He said such a condition was not practical as it would be impossible to get everyone to agree.

“Just because some 20% of owners could not be contacted or disagree to the proposal, the majority will not get to enjoy the new rate.

“Instead the authorities should consider a high majority as a requirement,” he said.

Although the MCs are required to get all of the residents to agree on the migration, exemptions are made in cases where the unit owners are overseas or has died and for units that are vacant, unsold or under auction.

In addition to getting all residents to agree to the migration, the MCs are also responsible in settling their existing water bill arrears prior to the migration.

Other conditions imposed on the MCs prior to the migration are ensuring the condition of the individual water meters and their locations.

The MCs have to bear the cost of modification on the water meters if required.

“We also have to provide maintenance to the water pump and pipes after the switch from bulk meter to individual meters. That will cost quite a lot of money.

“Syabas should have taken the whole responsibility and not only the billing,” said Dhalan Zainuddin, a business development director to an MC that manages apartments in Seri Kembangan.

A woman who waished to be known only as Madam Sally, whose company manages apartments in Sungai Besi, said every MC had their own problems especially with low occupancy and poor fee collection from the residents.

She urged the authorities to study the matter further prior to implementing the new system.

The Selangor Water Monitoring Department deputy director (technical) Nik Nasim Nik Ismail in response said suggestions and recommendations from all parties especially residents and MCs were always welcome.

“We cannot make everyone happy and should give this a try first and see how it goes.

“We will do the fine-tuning along the way,” he said.