Private sector actively campaigns for less water use amid drought crisis

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BANGKOK,- The private sector sets a target to decrease water use by 30% by June this year. It suggests that the tap water price should be increased during the Songkran Festival next month.

The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking on Tuesday announced that it had launched a project to campaign for less water use in the dry season. The project encourages all sectors to use less tap water by 30% from now until June 2016.

Deputy Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce Wichai Atsaratkorn said more than 100 organizations had expressed their intentions to cooperate with the committee in the project. Indistrial plants would help provide water for nearby farms and water-saving toilet manufacturers would discount their products during the drought crisis, said Mr.Wichai.

The committee also proposed that households which used more water during Songkran this year, compared to the same period last year, have to pay higher water bills.

The committee is seeking cooperation with relevant government units such as the Royal Irrigation Department, the Department of Water Resources and the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority to find long-terms solutions to drought.