By Sofia Nasir
GOMBAK, Oct 21 — The Selangor government has no intention of further relaxing the eligibility criteria for its free water initiative, known as the Skim Air Darul Ehsan (Sade), said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
This is after the state eased the requirements by raising the maximum household income limit from RM4,000 to RM5,000 beginning October 1, 2022.
Amirudin also urged qualified individuals to apply for the scheme, with the administration aiming to increase the number of beneficiaries to 600,000, compared to the current 300,000.
He said the application remains open throughout the year.
“Since its inception, we have extended the registration period each year. We believe there are many eligible individuals, but they are unaware of how to apply.
“I believe many still don’t know about it. It is not done automatically because we do not want to apply a blanket approach, as there are people who do not actually need free water,” he said.
Amirudin was speaking to the press after officiating Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd’s fifth-anniversary celebration with the Sungai Tua state constituency’s community, at Dewan Rakyat Batu Caves, here, today.
He urged community leaders to help identify eligible residents, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from the free monthly allocation of 20 cubic meters of water.
“We will encourage community leaders to register more people. We estimate 600,000 accounts, but currently, only 300,000 accounts are registered. We will actively seek out more eligible individuals to increase registrations.”
Amirudin added that applicants can submit an appeal to Air Selangor should their applications be rejected.
In June, Air Selangor had said that 285,673 individuals are currently benefiting from the free water initiative, with the state covering costs exceeding RM30 million.
