Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the proposed hike in penalties for domestic consumers who waste water or use water excessively does not mean an increase in water tariffs.

Lim reiterated that under the present proposal, water tariffs for domestic users remain unchanged.

He described Penang as having the "unfortunate record" of being the state with the highest domestic water consumption rate in the country of around 286 litres per person per day in 2016.

"This compares unfavourably to the Malaysian national average of only 209 litres per person per day, the United Nations’ suggested usage of 165 litres and Singapore’s usage of only 148 litres per person per day," Lim said in a statement.

Lim said Penang’s high domestic water consumption rate is caused by the state having the lowest water rates in the country at an average of 32 cents for 35,000 litres per consumer per month, as compared to Johor’s RM1.32 (more than 4 times higher)...