Phuket Man Forced to Pay 16,800 Baht Water Bill

PHUKET — Phuket province's waterworks agency has confirmed that a local resident will have to pay the entirety of his 16,800 baht monthly water bill, the result of a water pipe leak beneath his home.

Pornsak Saengsri, 30, told reporters yesterday that he usually pays 100 to 200 baht for each monthly bill, and was shocked to see a bill from May that said he owed the state 16,829.33 baht for water using 549,000 liters of water. 

"It was so high that it shocked me," Pornsak told Matichon. He said he immediately called technicians from the Provincial Waterworks Authority to inspect his house, and they found that water pipes were leaking underneath the building. 

Pornsak said officials also told him that he would have to pay the bill because the leaks occurred in his home. 

Pisak Chollayuth, director of Phuket's Provincial Waterworks Authority, explained that under official regulations, homeowners are responsible for any leaks beyond the water meter installed by authorities. 

"It is the responsibility of homeowners to regularly maintain and fix water pipes in their own residence," Pisak told Matichon yesterday. "As for the May water bill, in the current time, the Waterworks Authority has no policy of giving discounts for water fees." 

Pisak suggested that Pornsak can request paying the bill in installments. He also urged other homeowners in Phuket to inspect their homes for any faults or leaks. 

"This kind of incident happens lot every month in Phuket, because many houses were built a long time ago," Pisak said. "They have been deteriorating. Some people do not check their homes' water system, so it leads to damages in the system. Mostly the leaks are around toilet system and underground pipes."  

In a similar incident in May 2014, a 80-year-old woman in Ayutthaya province was served a 32,595 baht water bill because of leaks in the water pipes beneath her house. She paid the bill in installments. 

 

 

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