Water War Waged Against City Hall

The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority has moved to take over Phuket Municipality’s Water Supply Division, claiming the division has failed to meet World Health Organisation quality standards. But the Mayor of Phuket, 1st Lt Phummisak Hongsyok, has vowed to fight the take-over, saying it would lead to a big hike in water supply prices for consumers. In a recent letter to Mayor Phummisak from Mr Pinit Jarusombat, the Deputy Minister of the Interior who oversees the operations of Provincial Waterworks, the Deputy Minister said water quality in Phuket Municipality was well below WHO standards. He also said the pipe system was old, the service inadequate, and prices unrealistic. Mayor Phummisak said that on January 1, the Authority had ordered the Phuket Municipality to increase prices to 10 baht a cubic metre. He said the Municipality currently sells water to consumers at between 3 and 6 baht a cubic metre. “If we charge the prices wanted by the Authority, people in Phuket Municipality are going to suffer,” Mayor Phummisak said.