Climate Change Response Towards Integrated Water
Climate change in Thailand is caused by the influence of atmospheric pressure, the influence of Pacific Ocean winds affects El Niño and La Niña, while the influence of Indian Ocean affects the IOD (Indian Ocean Dipole) phenomenon. All of these affect the climate in the eastern region. Therefore, the Company continuously monitors the prediction of precipitation (International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) model), the situation of precipitation, the amount of water flowing into the reservoirs, the amount of water in the reservoir, and the weather forecast. They are used as a database for assessing the adequacy of water resources in the Company’s water distribution service area compared to the water needs of customers in order to develop a water pipeline network to support long-term water demand.
Over the past year, the Company has implemented measures to effectively respond to challenges, ensuring business continuity and efficiency. This has been achieved by strengthening the stability of the water pipeline network, reinforcing confidence in water management across all sectors to ensure sufficient water supply. The key initiatives include:
Enhancing the Stability of the Water Pipeline Network
The Company’s water pipeline network covers 3 provinces in the eastern region, namely Rayong, Chonburi, and Chachoengsao. The total length of the pipeline is 553 kilometers. They are connected to each other and connect the main water sources and water reserves of both the government sector and the Company in the form of a water grid to be able to manage water source to be suitable for the water demand in each area and be in line with the amount of water supply source in each period. In order to maximize the effectiveness of water management, including the consideration of water reserves to create stability of water resources and develop the water grid to cope with drought risks in the eastern region, the Company has an action plan to stabilize the water grid system, consisting of 3 parts:
- Raising the capability of water supply sources
- Developing the water pipeline network system (Water Grid)
- Collaboration with relevant agencies and producing weather forecasts.
Raising the capability of water supply sources:
Based on the assessment of water demand from the Company’s water pipeline system in terms of raw water volume, and tap water/industrial water volume, it was found that the current and future demand is steadily increasing according to the government policies that support expansion in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). The Company has reviewed the potential of project to increase water supply source in various watershed by considering their adequacy along with location of water resource development to be in line with water usage location and consider the development of water resources to be higher than the amount of water demand at least 25.00% of the total water demand to accommodate the situation during the year when the amount of water is less than usual. Therefore, the Company has prepared a master plan to develop water resources and water pipeline network including the improvement of existing pipelines and development of additional pipelines to raise the capability of water sources, as well as the consideration of short-, medium-, and long-term water reserves to create stability of raw water resources which will build customer confidence in the next 20 years. The water resource development plan has been adjusted from the previous year to be in line with the current situation and not affect the environment and water usage of the surrounding communities. Details are as follows:
Developing the water pipeline network system (Water Grid)
The Company has implemented the project to continuously enhance the capability of its water pipeline network system to connect the main water sources from reservoirs and water reserves of both government sector and the Company in the form of water grid to be able to manage water efficiently and appropriately to meet the water demand in each area, as follows:
1. Construction of Khlong Luang Reservoir – Chonburi Raw Water Pipeline
To connect the main water source from the Khlong Luang Rachalothorn Reservoir of the government sector and the water grid to be able to manage water and increase the water supply source for Chon Buri area and Pluak Daeng – Bo Win area; accommodate the water demand in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in accordance with the government policy as well as water shortage in the future. It has the capacity to distribute about 142,000 cubic meters of water per day. The progress is 93.00%. The system now allows for reverse water flow through the pipeline network.
2. Construction of Nong Pla Lai – Nong Kho – Laem Chabang Water Pipeline system
To connect the main water source from Prasae Reservoir of the government sector and the water grid as well as to increase the water supply capacity from Rayong area to Chon Buri area to be able to manage water and increase the water supply source for Chon Buri area; accommodate the water demand in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) in accordance with the government policy as well as water shortage in the future. It has the capacity to distribute about 350,000 cubic meters of water per day. Water can now be supplied through the pipeline to the Laem Chabang area, with construction expected to be fully completed within Q1 2025.
3. Construction of Map Ta Phut – Sattahip Water Pipeline system
To increase water distribution capacity from Rayong area as well as expand the production capacity of the Sattahip Water Supply business. The system can now distribute an additional 135,000 cubic meters of water per day, supporting both current and future customers in the Sattahip area. Construction has been completed, and water distribution to customers has been operational since April 2024.
Collaboration and weather forecast
To ensure that the Company’s water management plan was appropriate and in line with the current situation, the Company has collaborated closely with relevant agencies such as the Royal Irrigation Department, Provincial Waterworks Authority, Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, Working Group of the Eastern Water Operation Center (Keyman Water War Room), Office of the National Water Resource (ONWR), Water and Environment Institute for Sustainability, Office of the Eastern Special Development Zone, Meteorological Department, Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation, etc.
Joint Water Management
The water sources under the Company’s management are surface water pumped from various sources which can be divided into 2 types according to usage: main and reserve water sources, details as follows:
Water sources allocated by the Royal Irrigation Department including Nong Plalai, Prasae, and Bang Phra reservoirs. Currently, Nong Kho and Dok Krai Reservoirs are undergoing renovation and the construction of new pumping stations to replace assets returned to the Treasury Department.
Natural water sources that the Company can pump water each year with amount of water supply as seasonal runoff including Bang Pakong and Rayong rivers, Khlong Thab Ma, and private water sources.
Water sources that provide backup support for the main water sources. The water must be reserved beforehand for use when there are low water levels in the main sources or water shortage. These are Samnakbok, Chachoengsao, and Thab Ma raw water ponds.
The main water sources are allocated by the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) from November through October of the following year. Each year, the RID through relevant projects would inform the non-agricultural water users (household consumer and industrial sectors) about the permitted water quotas for that year. The allocated amounts are based on the water levels in the reservoirs at the beginning of the dry season (November), the minimum water levels stored, the plans to supply water to the agricultural sector, and the amounts of water released to maintain the ecosystem
During each water allocation year, volumes of water consumption would be monitored to allocate water quotas that matched the levels of water flow into the reservoir within the limits in the written permits for water uses from water sources.
In terms of pumping water from the Bang Pakong River, in 2024, the Company organized a meeting with Bang Pakong River Basin water users and relevant stakeholders to obtain a resolution for water pumping operations. Water pumping was conducted from August to November 2024, primarily to supply domestic and industrial users in Chachoengsao Province with part of it being diverted and stored in Bang Phra Reservoir as a reserve supply for water users in Chachoengsao and Chonburi during the 2024 dry season
Water Management in 2024 the Company faced challenges in water management within the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) due to the handover of assets to the Ministry of Finance while only partial completion of the Nong Pla Lai – Nong Kho – Laem Chabang pipeline project at the beginning of the year necessitated the purchase of raw water from the Treasury Department’s pipeline network to supply various customer areas. To mitigate the impact, the company procured raw water from Dok Krai Reservoir to supply Rayong and from Nong Pla Lai Reservoir to supply Pluak Daeng, Bo Win, and Chonburi, while also accelerating the completion of the Nong Pla Lai – Nong Kho – Laem Chabang pipeline project. During early 2024, rainfall levels in the Eastern region were slightly above average, with water inflow into Chonburi reservoirs remaining close to the average, while Rayong reservoirs recorded below-average inflow, except for Prasae Reservoir, which saw higher-than-average inflow. To ensure water security in 2025, the Company has implemented the followings measures:
The total volume of water pumped andmanaged by the Company in 2024 was 256.89 million cubic meters, reflecting a slight decrease from 2023. This decline was primarily due to alternative water sources becoming available for users in the Map Ta Phut area, leading to a reduced reliance on the Company’s supply. Additionally, some users opted to source water from the Treasury Department’s pipeline system, while economic slowdowns in certain industrial sectorsำ
Overall Water Consumption by Service Area
Non-Revenue Water Control
Water is another that is crucial to the sustainable development of global community. Such sustainability involves ensuring that there are sufficient resources for present and future generations. However, the ever- increasing water scarcity that is insufficient for the agricultural, consumer, and industrial sectors is one of the major obstacles to water sustainability. Therefore, the United Nations has announced a global action plan for the years 2018-2028 called “Water for Sustainable Development”, with a combination of water resources management to achieve economical, social, and environmental objectives.
Therefore, Non-Revenue Water (NRW) refers to water that does not generate revenue within the system, leading to waste in both pumping energy and water resources during transmission before reaching customers. As a leader in integrated water management in Thailand, particularly in the Eastern region, which serves as a hub for major industries and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), the Company has consistently recognized and prioritized the importance of NRW management. This can be seen from the approach to formulate policy for non-revenue water control to be at 2.50% of the pumped water for direct distribution into the system. Not only studying and evaluating the capability of water management, but the Company also focuses on studying new and modern technologies that are suitable for the Company’s pumping system.
In 2024, the Company was able to control non-revenue water in the pipeline to be at 1.33% of total pumped volume (direct distribution). This was driven by careful management of activities and operations that pose a risk of water loss, with a strong emphasis on minimizing impacts on water users. As a result, the Company reduced Non-Revenue Water (NRW) to a lower level than in 2023.
The Company's volume of pumped water in 2022-2024
| Year | Volume of pumped water (directly pumped into the system) (cubic meter) | Volume of distributed water to customers (cubic meter) |
Volume of stored water (cubic meter) |
Volume of non-revenue water (cubic meter) |
% NRW (of the water directly pumped to the system) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 284,856,822 | 263,692,366 | 16,355,523 | 4,817,933 | 1.69 |
| 2023 | 299,251,262 | 260,592,055 | 33,122,633 | 5,536,574 | 1.85 |
| 2024 | 275,052,991 | 243,150,509 | 28,236,390 | 3,666,092 | 1.33 |
- Non-revenue water = Volume of water (directly pumped into the system) – volume of water distributed to the customers – volume of stored water
- Volume of water (directly pumped into the system) is the amount of water pumped from the water source directly to customer
- Volume of water distributed to the customers is the amount of water that passes through the customer’s meter