Water bill 'requires more debate'

[Lite Beer]

Water bill 'requires more debate'
Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Experts tell forum that some aspects of the new law need clarification

SOME ASPECTS of the upcoming Water bill need to be discussed further, such as public participation in water management and preparations for climate change, and included in the law, a forum has heard.

The Thailand Research Fund held the discussion yesterday to gather opinions from related agencies about water reform. It will relay its findings to the National Reform Council this month.

Sucharit Koontanakulvong, head of water resources engineering at Chulalongkorn University, said passing of the Water bill legislation was essential to tackle the major challenge of water resource management.

He said the act would be the main tool to defuse confusion among authorities and serve as the master plan for water management.

"Because we have up to 17 official agencies involved in water management, the policies of each agency are different and often overlap each other, making it harder for them to work together," Sucharit explained.

"They gather the information using different standards and there is a lack of efficiency in working together as there is a bureaucratic difference among the agencies and a change in the line of command often affects water management projects."

He said the Water Act would force all agencies to work together because it would be the primary law to follow.

"This new act will also allow greater public participation in water management but it will have to be discussed further on how deep the public will participate," he said.

"However, we're planning for locals to plan and decide local water management projects, not just sit in on public hearings," he said.

Act should be 'proactive and adaptive'

Meanwhile, Chedsada Kaewkalaya, from Kasetsart University's Irrigation Engineering Department, did not believe the bill is the answer to problems and suggested the new act should be more proactive and adaptive.

"The passing of laws to fix wrong things in the past was not the solution in the long run.

"The new act should be like the master rule for water management and let [the authorities in] each water basin administrate within their area because each area has a different environment and can't be managed by the same policy," Chedsada said.

Kulwat Sathakorn, of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, suggested that preparations for the impact of climate change on water resources should be considered and added to the bill, as he cited scientific proof that climate change would affected water resources worldwide.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Water-bill-requires-more-debate-30263699.html

-- The Nation 2015-07-04

[Fritzz]

"public participation in water management"

If, like in Hua Hin, this means mainly farang occupied compounds/houses get 'taxed' in addition to paying for their units consumed I'd rather not participate.

Had an interesting discussion with another Farang last night whose Thai wife is also green-garden-mad and engages in hour-long sprinkling exercises on a daily basis. Once we compared the size of lawns and tanks and found them roughly matching, we finally came to the crucial question of monthly bills. It was quite outrageous that last month - admittedly a hot one in Hua Hin - he actually breached the 200 Baht boundary.

Mine was 2250 Baht plus a monthly bill for the 14 house compound for "pipe cleaning" of an additional 500 Baht per house. Irony is that he claims his water is in the meantime so clear he saw no longer a need for expensive filter elements which he removed. Mine however start clogging up after about 2 - 3 weeks these days (tank bottom no longer visible). The difference between Pranbury and Hua Hin water?

What is going on ? Finally the farang tax?

[ableguy]

"public participation in water management"

If, like in Hua Hin, this means mainly farang occupied compounds/houses get 'taxed' in addition to paying for their units consumed I'd rather not participate.

Had an interesting discussion with another Farang last night whose Thai wife is also green-garden-mad and engages in hour-long sprinkling exercises on a daily basis. Once we compared the size of lawns and tanks and found them roughly matching, we finally came to the crucial question of monthly bills. It was quite outrageous that last month - admittedly a hot one in Hua Hin - he actually breached the 200 Baht boundary.

Mine was 2250 Baht plus a monthly bill for the 14 house compound for "pipe cleaning" of an additional 500 Baht per house. Irony is that he claims his water is in the meantime so clear he saw no longer a need for expensive filter elements which he removed. Mine however start clogging up after about 2 - 3 weeks these days (tank bottom no longer visible). The difference between Pranbury and Hua Hin water?

What is going on ? Finally the farang tax?

I lived in a two bed house three people my monthly bill was never over sixty baht, moved to Korat three months ago same set up now my bill has jumped to two hundred a month, how on earth can you spend over two grand a month without filling up a swimming pool.

[ableguy]

Ps sorry I lived in hua hin up by big c dust land seven.

[Fritzz]

No swimming pool filling.

OK, it appears then that outside the so called 'gated communities' (where 90-100% of owner/occupants are farang) the water rates are reasonable and vary only by a few Baht. I heard that they had to start somewhere and what better way than repeating the good ideas from the park-admission-fee scheme here too. By treating these compounds with one communal water meter as industrial areas where the more you use the higher the unit rates they don't hurt anyone with voting rights.

We live south of Hua Hin near a water amusement park. Appears we have drawn the short straw here too: too close to their waste water outlet?!

Looks like Hua Hin infrastructure is years behind the ambitious extension plans of the property barons. On the surface at least roads and water seem inadequate. Who knows what else raises its ugly head once 6000 more move into newly built premises on the north side of the city.

[elgordo38]

"public participation in water management"

If, like in Hua Hin, this means mainly farang occupied compounds/houses get 'taxed' in addition to paying for their units consumed I'd rather not participate.

Had an interesting discussion with another Farang last night whose Thai wife is also green-garden-mad and engages in hour-long sprinkling exercises on a daily basis. Once we compared the size of lawns and tanks and found them roughly matching, we finally came to the crucial question of monthly bills. It was quite outrageous that last month - admittedly a hot one in Hua Hin - he actually breached the 200 Baht boundary.

Mine was 2250 Baht plus a monthly bill for the 14 house compound for "pipe cleaning" of an additional 500 Baht per house. Irony is that he claims his water is in the meantime so clear he saw no longer a need for expensive filter elements which he removed. Mine however start clogging up after about 2 - 3 weeks these days (tank bottom no longer visible). The difference between Pranbury and Hua Hin water?

What is going on ? Finally the farang tax?

I lived in a two bed house three people my monthly bill was never over sixty baht, moved to Korat three months ago same set up now my bill has jumped to two hundred a month, how on earth can you spend over two grand a month without filling up a swimming pool.

You should have stayed where you were. At 60 bahts a month for 3 people the water company should have replaced your meter. 200 bahts a month (I am confused here has you say 200 baht and then later 2000 bahts) a month for 3 people is still quite reasonable. I live in a Chiang Mai condo with my g/f and our bill is 135 bahts a month and we have our own well (Thank God)

[PETERTHEEATER]

I queried water bills for Muang Hua Hin and Pranburi on the forum last year.

For my house 11 kms south of Hua Hin I am charged around 3.8 baht per cubic meter. For my house in Pranburi the charge varies between 15 and 19 baht per c.m. and that is confirmed positively via the PWA website for Pranburi. My question was, why is the Hua Hin water so much cheaper.

Never had a response.