Challenges in land title issuance for water assets in the restructured water services industry

Abstract

The restructuring of Malaysia's water services industry, initiated by the Federal Government in 2008, aimed to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework encompassing both water supply and sewerage services. In line with this initiative, Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) undertook the acquisition of water assets from the state, as part of the National Water Services Industry Restructuring Initiative. The acquisition was conducted based on the one-time book value of the state's water assets, aligned with their corresponding liabilities. However, this common practice faced technical challenges owing to constraints encountered by the land office, leading to unapproved land alienation applications and subsequent delays in the issuance of titles for the acquired water assets. Despite the significance of the matter, the discourse surrounding water assets, particularly concerning land alienation and title issuance, has received insufficient attention in the existing literature. This research seeks to address the challenges faced by the land office in issuing land titles for water assets within the restructured water services industry. Engaging a qualitative mode of inquiry, content document analysis was employed, utilizing the READ approach, to scrutinize pertinent statutes, acts, policies, and procedures of the land office. The study's outcomes disclose the existence of fifteen (15) challenges spanning diverse aspects such as government policies, administrative procedures, and the pivotal engagement of land office personnel. Conversely, these challenges also pertain to the activities and contributions of applicants and stakeholders, albeit through indirect channels. By identifying these challenges, key stakeholders, especially the land office and PAAB, can better address problematic applications, expedite the process of land ownership for water assets, and significantly contribute to the overall enhancement of the national initiative restructuring Malaysia's water supply service industry.