The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has announced its intention to introduce wastewater treatment fees for commercial buildings in the capital, tentatively starting from the end of this year.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed that the city currently incurs an annual cost of approximately 600 million baht to operate its eight wastewater treatment facilities, yet no charges have been imposed on households or commercial establishments for this service.
Under the proposed rates, Category 2 commercial buildings will be charged 4 baht per cubic meter of wastewater discharged into the drainage system, while Category 3 commercial buildings, including hotels and large commercial structures, will face a fee of 8 baht per cubic meter. These fees are calculated based on the assumption that 80% of tap water utilized by commercial buildings eventually finds its way into the drainage system as wastewater.
Chadchart noted that commercial buildings equipped with their own treatment facilities will no longer be required to operate these systems, as it will be more cost-effective for them to switch to utilizing the BMA’s wastewater treatment facilities.
By imposing fees based on the volume of wastewater discharged, the BMA aims to incentivize commercial buildings to utilize the city’s treatment infrastructure and contribute to the overall sustainability of Bangkok’s wastewater management. (NNT)
