Buriram residents bewildered by backdated water bills up to 9 years old

In Thailand’s northeast province of Buriram, inhabitants of Ban Dan district are left in confusion as they are being billed for water usage dating back six to nine years. Appearing across each village, these bills have sparked controversy, with municipality staff explaining that the payment must be collected.

The complaints escalated as residents within the Ban Dan area, in some cases two to four from each village, and at worst 29 individuals, are being charged retrospectively. The amount levied varies significantly, from 4,000 to 15,000 baht (US$118 to US$440) for water consumption dating back to 2014.

Seventy-year-old Chomchuey Jayunram, a noodle vendor, expressed her bewilderment receiving a water bill summing over 10,000 baht (US$294), dating back to 2014. Her monthly water usage ranges between 50 and 150 baht (US$1.5 to US$4), and despite…