Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) wishes to refer to another baseless allegation made by the vice-chief of the publicity bureau of Selangor MCA, Tan Bok Koon, who claims that Syabas is restricting the industrial/commercial consumers from buying water directly from the company. The said allegation was published by Malaysiakini on April 23, 2014.

Syabas wishes to reiterate that the company has never restricted or disallowed industrial and commercial consumers from buying water directly from any of its 10 district offices in Selangor, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. This has been the company’s policy since Jabatan Bekalan Air Selangor (JBAS) days and has been endorsed by National Water Services Commission (Span). Thus the said allegation is totally unfounded.

As has been repeatedly stated publically by Syabas and as part of the water rationing policy approved by Span, consumers from the industrial/commercial sectors can purchase water from Syabas but they have to arrange for their own tankers or other modes to transport the water.

What the consumers have to do is to submit their application to the respective Syabas district office, pay the required charges based on approved schedule of rates and subsequent bring their water tankers to the filling station. Once the Syabas officer on duty verifies the approval letter and payment receipt issued by Syabas, Syabas’s staff can start filling the water into the water tankers provided them.

We would be most likely to meet with Tan if he wish to know more about this matter.

However, if Tan does have proof that Syabas is not allowing industrial and commercial consumers to buy water during the rationing period, or has charged exorbitant price, one and above what Syabas’s management has approved, we would appreciate it greatly if Tan would forward the evidence to Syabas’s management to the police or even to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for further investigation.

PRISCILLA ALFRED DHARAN is assistant general manager, corporate communications and public affairs of Syabas.