East Water conducts complete water sources management to restore community and develop for society

 For the period of 30 years, Thailand has been continuously developed, resulting in increasing consumption in both agricultural and industrial sectors.

          Water is a precious resource and the basic factor for living. Therefore, all sectors want to access clean, sufficient, and good-quality water sources for conducting various activities. Many sectors realizes that unsustainable water management would affect the life quality of the community, as well as agricultural and business sectors in the future.

            Eastern Water Resources Development and Management Public Company Limited or East Water was established with the key mission of managing raw water transmission through large water pipes to consumer sector and industrial sector to support eastern coast development plan which is the key industrial zone of the country to create stability of water resources.

            Moreover, East Water develops water management competence to emphasize the vision of being the leader in complete water management of Thailand, creating sustainable business growth on the basis of transparent and ethical management.

            Back to the year 1994 which was the first period that East Water determined life quality and environmental development policy to create sustainability and improve the life quality of the community and the company’s stakeholders along with sustainable growth.

            Also, East Water aimed at enabling people to access clean and sufficient water sources for consumption and agricultural business by integrating water management between East Water, government agencies, water users in business and community sectors. In addition, East Water provides several channels for collaboration with the community to ensure understanding and access, leading to collaboration in developing quality of life of the community and environment.

            Water utility promotion and environmental conservation project is one of the company’s life quality improvement projects that support the above goals. It is also the project to take care of the communities located in the upstream, midstream, and downstream.

            The upstream focuses on the areas around the reservoirs, raw water sources, including the upstream watershed forests which are the joints of 5 provinces in the easter region which are the important areas of the company mainly driving the company’s business.

            For this reason, East Water collaborated with the community to conduct watershed forest maintenance project to maintain the ecosystem balance that ensures water cycle and monitor the change of water quality in various sources as East Water arranged 2 projects with the local communities, including:

1. Natural resources and water sources restoration projects, which are

• Forest cultivation project in the eastern region which has been operated since 2015 and distributed 20,000 trees per year in Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, and Chanthaburi Province
•  Participatory maintenance and restoration of community forests following Pracharat plans which has been conducted since 2011 in 3 areas, including Ban Sam Phran Community Forest, Village No. 25, Khlong Ta Krao Sub-district, Tha Takhiap District, Chachoengsao Province, Ban Ning Muang community forest, Village No. 4, Chum SAeng Sub-district, Wang Chan District, Rayong Province, and Khlong Yai Thai community forest, Village No. 18, Khun Chong Sub-district, Kaeng Hang Maew District, Chanthaburi Province, focusing on forestation at 25 percent of the local trees.

In 2021, in collaboration with the network, East Water could increase green area at 18 rai per year, absorbing 65-108 MT of carbon dioxide per year, compared with 7,200 trees.

• Aquatic animal release to restore ecosystem which ha been conducted since 2018 in Khlong Omnoi area, Khao Din Temple, Khao Din Sub-district, Bang Pakong District, Chachoengsao Province to maintain the ecosystem balance and preserve aquatic animals at Bang Pakong River mangrove forest. In 2021,  510,000 fish has been released to water sources.

2. East Water’s water conservation network which has been conducted since 2014 with the aim of raising awareness of the youth of the water source value, build water conservation network and enhancing scientific skills through 2 activities which are East Water’s water conservation youth camp and scholarships granting to the youth in Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, and Rayong and water quality inspection activity in canals and rivers in Ban Pho District, Chachoengsao Province, canals and rivers in Pluak Daeng District, Rayong Province, Dok Krai Reservoir, Nong Plalai Reservoir, Khlong Yai Reservoir, and Prasae Reservoir.

            For activities in the midstream areas, East Water places importance on the areas around its raw water pipelines. East Water aims at enabling community people to have clean, good-quality, and sufficient water for consumption and agricultural business equally and completely through water utility system development for the community. This reflects the water management competence of East Water and social responsibility through 3 projects as follows:

1. Community water supply production control and maintenance (integrated with Fix It Center Project) which has been conducted since 2018. The aim is to improve community water supply in 9 places per year to enable the community to clean water sources for consumption in 1,040 households, as well as arranging the workshop on community water supply production control and maintenance for 10 local educational institutes
2. CSR projects for communities along the raw water pipelines: East Water installed 15 raw water distribution points to village water supply system. In 2021, East Water supported 1,561,037.60 m³ of raw water for consumption. Moreover, the company collaborated with the government agency and water users to make an agreement to support the budget for water utility development to local communities, as well as life quality development project of the community.
3. Water for community project: East Water provided mobile drinking water trucks and support cup and bottled drinking water for public activities in the community.

            For activities in the downstream areas, East Water raised awareness of water problems caused by activities and release of used water into rivers and canals which could become water pollution without effective management and affect the quality of water, as well as life quality od the community in the future.

            East Water realizes the competences of schools as the learning centers for the nearby community. Therefore, the company collaborated with 7 Primary Education Area Offices in Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, and Rayong Province to build model schools for wastewater treatment management in the schools and raise awareness of the youth and nearby communities in water sources maintenance and water resources conservation, as well as using water efficiently for the highest benefits.

            All of these are some part of East Water’s operations that understands and places importance on  sustainability concept to enable the society and community to develop and live together peacefully while establishing foundations for the future so that the young generations could grow in the good environment.