An IWK customer is anyone who owns or occupies a domestic (residential), commercial, industrial, or government premise within an area where IWK provides services. This includes septic tank services. These are typically under the jurisdiction of a Local Authority that has contracted IWK for services and maintenance.
Property/ premise classifications are typically determined and defined by local authorities and municipal councils. These categories are as follows:
Domestic Premises: These are premises used exclusively for human habitation and does not include premises that are partly used for industrial or commercial activities.
Low Cost Premises: These are domestic premises classified by the relevant Local Authority or State Authority as a ‘low cost house’.
Government Quarters: These are premises built, constructed, adapted or intended to be used exclusively for habitation by government servants in the various grades (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H & I) as defined by the Government General Orders (Chapter E).
Commercial Premises: These are premises used wholly or partly for trade, business, provision of services or any other activity, whether for profit or otherwise.
Government Premises: These are premises owned and occupied by the Federal Government, State Government, Local Authority, statutory body established by Federal or State law, a court or tribunal.
Industrial Premises: These are premises used wholly or partly for industrial activities which include the manufacturing, processing or assembling of goods or substance.
To qualify for an industrial rate billing, premise owners or occupiers must complete and submit a Declaration Form to IWK semi-annually. The form can be obtained at any IWK office at no charge
Connected Service
If you spot a rectangular metal cover (an inspection chamber) outside your premises, either at the side, rear or in front, your premise is using the connected service.
Manholes along the road connecting to your premises to a public sewage treatment plant indicate the entire area has connected service. These manholes contain sewerage pipelines, serving as checkpoints for identifying sewerage issues and clearing blockages. Unauthorized access to public manholes is prohibited unless authorization is obtained from IWK or the National Water Services Commission.
IWK mainly works at the public sewage treatment plants and maintains the network of sewer pipelines along public roads. IWK staff visits your premises in person only when there’s sewage backflow, causing overflows in your toilet, bathroom, kitchen, or manholes due to blockages along the public sewer pipelines.
Individual Septic Tank (IST) & Desludging Service
Premises with septic tanks have underground systems located outside the premises, featuring 2 to 4 metal lids. Regular maintenance of the septic tanks fall under the responsibility of the premises' occupier, whether they be the owner or tenant. IWK provides desludging services for septic tanks.
Effective 30 March 2021, all owners or occupants of any premises connected to or own a septic tank needs to carry out desludging exercises on a scheduled basis as mandated by "Water Services Industry Regulations (Sewage Disposal Services) 2021" gazette:
Premises within local authority operating areas (PBT) must arrange for septic tank desludging every 24 months (2 years).
Premises outside local authority boundaries must arrange for septic tank desludging every 36 months (3 years).
Failure to maintain and empty septic tanks can result in fines not exceeding RM50,000, per subsection 65(3) of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 [Act 655].
Responsive Service
Inspection chambers contain sewage outlets connecting premises’ sewer pipelines to public sewer pipelines, with the purpose of inspecting and clearing any obstructions. IWK covers the cost of clearing obstructions within public sewer pipes.
However, for blockages in private (internal) sewer pipelines, which connect premises to the public sewer system, customers are billed according to the severity of the blockage, payable on a ‘cash-on-delivery’ basis. It’s crucial to request and retain a receipt as proof of payment.
In case of damaged internal sewer pipelines, the occupant (owner or tenant) must hire a private contractor at their expense for the replacement. IWK can provide contact information for private contractors upon request.