Phuket water bills to rise from Jan 1

PHUKET: -- Phuket municipality is to increase water fees for the first time in 13 years to cope with the rising cost of buying water from the private sector, according to Phuket Town Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana.

The municipality currently charges between 4 and 13 baht per unit to water users, but will up rates to between 6.70 and 21.50 baht from the start of 2014. Tap water customers who live outside the municipality will have to pay between 10.00 and 21.50 baht a unit from Jan 1.

Ms Somjai said the fee hike is necessary because the municipality has been forced to buy water from the private sector to serve consumers.

She said untreated water from the private sector costs the municipality between 0.50 and 5.00 baht per cubic metre, while tap water from the private sector and Phuket Waterworks Authority costs between 11.00 and 21.00 baht per cubic metre.

The municipality also has to pay value added tax and electricity costs associated with supplying the water, she said, arguing that officials have no choice but to increase fees to reflect the costs and help encourage consumers not to waste water.


-- Phuket News 2013-12-20

I would not mind paying extra if we actually had any water coming through our meter in Patong. Not one drop for the last 3 weeks. In Kata they won't even consider piping water down our road.

How do they decide who pays 11 and who pays 21/

How do they decide who pays 11 and who pays 21/

They have a 3 tier system. I was paying T3 rates for many years & wondering why our water bills were so high. It was in a housing estate so not sure if that had anything to do with it. When I finally figured it out all the wife had to do was go to the water office at Bang Wad & sign a form changing us over to the cheaper T1 rate.

Yet another great reason not to have the government water system connected.

So glad that I have two independent water supplies.