REDUCE WATER CONSUMPTION OR PAY MORE

PENANG (Malaysia), April 13 (Bernama) -- The chief minister has urged
Penangites to reduce water consumption by 10 per cent or pay more, by way of
water tariff next
year.

"The formula is simple, we would not want to charge higher on water tariff
for state water consumers but if you force the government to implement more
water infrastructure projects for the future, you will end up paying
significantly more," said Lim Guan Eng.

He was speaking to reporters after officiating the World Water Day 2009 at
the Penang Botanic Garden here Sunday.

Lim said the current high rate of domestic water consumption would cause the
government to build bigger dams, treatment plants, pumping stations and
pipelines which might cost billions of ringgit.

He said that last year, domestic water consumers in the state used an
average of 285 litres of water daily, as compared to only 157 litres a person in
Singapore and 219 litres in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Lim said the state executive council would hold meeting next
Monday to discuss aid to be given to senior citizens aged over 60.

He said that beginning May 1 -- in conjunction with Labour Day -- forms
would be distributed to senior citizens via state assemblymen and state
government agencies, before evaluating who was eligible for the aid.

Lim said that the state government would need about a year before
implementing the aid, declining however, to reveal the type of aid.

-- BERNAMA