National—
On November 9th, 2023, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, the Deputy Prime Minister, delegated electric and water utility policies to Thai government officials to relieve the burden of Thai citizens.
Both Thai metropolitan and regional officials authorized that electric or water bill payments could be postponed for 3 months if the electric or water bills were less than 300 and 150 baht each month respectively.
Anutin publicly stated that the Thai government will also provide clean drinking tap water without an additional charge. The Thai Metropolitan Waterworks Authority has the potential to manage the new policy efficiently, Anutin added.
A bottle of water may cost 10-20 baht, but drinking tap water will greatly relieve the burden of millions of Thai citizens who have low income, said the Deputy Prime Minister.
It’s unclear, however, how and when the Thai government will put this policy into practice nationwide or the steps required to execute this plan, notes TPN media. There was no timeline given for when clean drinking tap water would be provided nationally. Clean tap water has been a regular concern in Thailand for many years, both in rural and urban areas.
