The Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) has unveiled its ambitious 2025 policy and operational roadmap, known as “PWA First.” This visionary plan sets out to drive excellence across all aspects of water utility services, while seamlessly aligning with national and Ministry of Interior directives. The grand announcement took place on November 4, 2025, within the hallowed halls of the Prapawiwat Building at PWA Headquarters, setting a new course for the future.
Chakapong Kamchan, the PWA Governor, painted a vivid picture of his commitment to elevating the quality of life for all citizens while meeting the diverse needs of customers under the “PWA First” initiative. This groundbreaking policy emphasizes both organizational advancement and service enhancement, focusing keenly on five foundational pillars:
- F: Financial Stability — A pursuit of appropriate financial resources to ensure enduring stability.
- I: Instant Water Loss Control — Aiming to drive down water loss rates with precision.
- R: Resource Management — Efficiently maximizing the utilization of resources.
- S: Sustainability — Building robust organizational resilience for the long haul.
- T: Technology and Innovation — An embrace of modern technology, always a step ahead.
Governor Chakapong charted out the comprehensive Three-Phase Operational Strategy for PWA, articulate in scope and driven by clear goals for short, mid, and long-term objectives:
- Short-term (Fiscal Year 2025): A focus on maintaining standards of service, curtailing water loss, and enhancing customer satisfaction levels.
- Mid-term (Fiscal Years 2026-2027): A seamless integration of digital technology, boosting water production, smart cost management, a pivot towards clean energy, and a significant cutback in carbon emissions.
- Long-term (Fiscal Years 2028-2029): Flaunting operational agility through diverse revenue models which include pertinent updates to the PWA Act (1979) and forging public-private partnerships (PPP).
In the upcoming year, 2025, PWA ambitiously aims to expand its reach to 235,000 additional households, audaciously increase its water distribution by a massive 50 million cubic meters, and keep water loss below a stringent 26.30%. A well-considered investment budget of 11.6 billion baht will back projects aimed at boosting the reach of water services, ramping up distribution efficiency, and laying down new pipelines across various local administrative areas. Additionally, PWA stands fortified with over 4.5 billion baht in governmental backing for the Ministry of Interior’s laudable “Clean Drinking Water for the Public” initiative, poised to tackle disparities and assure affordable access to safe drinking water for all.
A spirited PWA is marching forward to fortify access to clean, affordable drinking water through three major initiatives:
- Clean Drinking Water Mini Stations: An audacious goal to open 30 new stations in 2025.
- Drinking Tap Water Project: In a commendable partnership with the Department of Health, PWA proudly certifies 264 areas with secure drinking tap water, with regular triennial inspections maintaining quality standards.
- Free Drinking Water Dispensers: Setting up dispensers across 234 branches nationwide, making clean drinking water accessible to a broader audience.
The PWA Governor passionately emphasized the organization’s relentless dedication to enhancing water services under the “PWA First” policy. This initiative is not merely about reshaping PWA but also about advancing public services, ensuring that every drop counts in alignment with government and Ministry of Interior goals. With “PWA First,” the future of water utility services stands on the brink of positive transformation, ready to flow into the hearts and homes of communities nationwide.
This roadmap sounds ambitious but extremely necessary for Thailand! Something needs to be done about water scarcity issues.
I don’t see how this will fix water scarcity. We need more than fancy plans, we need results and proven solutions.
I agree results are important, but starting with a solid plan is the first step! Execution is key.
Exactly, Joe! The focus on sustainability and technology is what we need for long-term change.
Hold on… PWA plans to expand to 235,000 households and invest billions, but will water prices skyrocket to fund this?
I was wondering the same thing. Who pays for these advancements? It’s always the consumers in the end.
Right? Affordable access is as important as availability. Let’s hope they keep that in mind.
I love the focus on technology and innovation! Water needs to keep up with modern technology just like any other utility. Great move.
But will this tech really make a difference or just complicate things? Sometimes simpler is better.
The Sustainability pillar is crucial. Climate change affects water resources heavily, and PWA’s focus here is good foresight.
Absolutely! Water management is a climate action that more countries need to adopt.
Back in my day, we didn’t have ‘roadmaps’—just hard work and proper maintenance. Will this focus too much on paperwork instead of action?
This sounds good but is any of this happening in rural areas where water access is a big issue?
I bet it starts in cities. Rural folks always get left behind.
The plan mentions reaching various local administrative areas, which should cover rural zones too.
Keeping water loss under 26.30% is a tough task. Why haven’t they tackled this sooner?
Good point. Water loss impacts revenue. It’s probably a mix of old infrastructure and mismanagement.
Mini stations for clean drinking water sound great! But why just 30? We need them everywhere!
Free water dispensers sound awesome, but if poorly maintained, they could be a health hazard.
Exactly. It’s only a good idea if they commit to regular maintenance and quality checks.
PWA’s partnership with the Department of Health is a step toward ensuring safer drinking water. More cross-sector collaborations like this are needed.
Getting PWA Act updates is long overdue. Public-private partnerships could be a double-edged sword though.
Any initiative that involves improving water should focus on educating the public too. Without awareness, even the best plans can fall flat.
This is typical political fluff, they’re making promises they can’t keep just to sound good before elections.
Every plan does sound like fluff until it’s executed. Let’s wait and see.
I guess that’s true, but actions speak louder, and we’ve waited long enough already.
They have a budget of 11.6 billion baht for investments, but how much of it will really be used effectively?
PWA needs to prioritize pollution control with their tech investments. No point in clean water if it’s contaminated in the distribution process.
They did mention plans for inspections. But yeah, ideally, pollution shouldn’t happen in the first place.