BANGKOK, 23 February 2014 – The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) has confirmed the quality of tap water meets the World Health Organization (WHO) standards, saying that a slight change in the taste of the water does not harm the body.
MWA Deputy Governor Wisut Noppakunthong said the MWA could not avoid receiving water with a high chloride level this year since its raw water intake was located in the lowest area in the Chao Phraya river basin now affected by seawater intrusion.
The MWA would therefore stop pumping raw water into its tanks during a high chloride period. It would wait until the chloride level dropped and store raw water of a normal chloride level as much as possible for the production of tap water, Mr Wisut said.
If seawater did not move down, the MWA still needed to produce tap water with a high chloride level so that 10 million people had water for consumption. No matter the situation, the MWA would strictly maintain its tap water quality in line with the standards set by the WHO, the deputy governor confirmed. Despite the changed taste, the tap water during this period was not hazardous to health.
