Putatan residents challenge RM120,000 water bill

Residents of a Putatan condominium near Kota Kinabalu are challenging a bill of more than RM120,000 after a 55-day water disruption forced their management to buy tanker supplies.

Kingfisher Putatan Condominium residents say they were without normal supply between April and May. They bought bottled water for drinking, washing, cooking and cleaning while the developer and management arranged privately operated tankers.

The residents say the bill should not be passed on to them because the tanker water had already been treated by Sabah’s State Water Department, known as JANS. Their complaint is that a public distribution failure turned ordinary supply into an expensive emergency service.

What residents are disputing

Malay Mail reported that the emergency water cost RM7.50 per cubic metre after the normal tariff of RM1.30 per cubic metre was deducted. Some residents have refused to pay the outstanding amount.

Putatan, south of Kota Kinabalu, has experienced repeated water shortages since 2018. Residents said the disruption affected sanitation, hygiene and day-to-day living, and warned that prolonged outages could become a public-health issue.

Calls for accountability

The residents are seeking action from the authorities and say reliable clean water and sanitation should be delivered through the normal public system. They are also calling for steps to prevent a repeat and have raised the prospect of legal action.

What it means for foreigners in Malaysia

For expatriates, long-stay visitors and property buyers in Sabah, the case underlines the practical importance of checking a building’s water-storage arrangements and local supply history. A disruption can bring extra costs even when the water itself comes from the public system.

Anyone renting or buying in affected areas may wish to ask building management about tanker arrangements, billing responsibility and the availability of stored water during outages.

17 August 2026