Penang bids to cut water usage

GEORGE TOWN: The state government will consider imposing a penalty on those who fail to cut their domestic water consumption by 10%, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.
He said Penangites must try to cut down their domestic consumption to 257 litres per person a day from the current 285 litres.
“A mechanism will be put in place to penalise those using excessive water, as it is not right to increase water tariffs and punish everyone. It will not be fair to those who use 257 litres or less daily.
“We need to take such a drastic measure as Penang has the highest water usage compared to Singapore and Hong Kong which have daily water usage per person of 157 and 219 litres respectively,” he told reporters at the Botanical Gardens yesterday.
Lim said that since water was cheaper than electricity and fuel, people tended to take it for granted.
He said that although Penang wanted to be number one in providing free Wifi services and wiping out hardcore poverty, there was nothing to be proud in being the state with the highest water usage.
At a different function, Lim said the state government had yet to decide on the form of reward to be given to senior citizens aged 60 and above for their contributions to the state. He said the registration process would only begin on May 1 as they were still finalising the details.
“Do not believe what is being speculated that those eligible will be given RM2,500,” he told reporters after the oath-taking ceremony by the north-east and south-west Village Security and Development Committee members at the Caring Society Complex.

tunku : this is what they were saying "negara kebajikan"(welfare state). everything promised till now still being discussed and finalised.no walking the talk but talking all the time.by the way, how much lost penang government had to bear from the quarry deal made by fairuz?