Mentor: Korea Water Resources Corporation
Recipient: Provincial Waterworks Authority

Date: 
2009 - 2010
Recipient's Country: 
Thailand
Mentor's Country: 
Korea
Focus Area: 
Water Quality Management

The Provincial Waterworks Authority of Thailand (PWA) provides water supply to all urban areas in Thailand except for Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakarn. Divided into five regional zones and 10 sub-regions, PWA currently supplies water to approximately 11.3 million people through 228 waterworks in 73 provinces, via 2.3 million service connections. PWA is concerned with degrading raw water quality and availability, especially in Khon Khaen (one of the larger PWA service areas with nearly 65,500 customers), and expressed interest in improving water quality monitoring and treatment process optimization. PWA is planning to increase the efficiency for remote water quality monitoring (both at the production and distribution processes) using SCADA and is identifying approaches to address high turbidity levels of treated water and low chlorine residual in the outer edges of the pipe network. PWA seeks best practices from water service providers in the region recognized for managing and delivering safe water supply. Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water) is a recognized water knowledge hub and utility. It employs approximately 4,000 professionals, manages water resources, and operates water and wastewater treatment plants and a number of retail operations on behalf of client cities. K-Water has an integrated water quality and operations monitoring information system (including SCADA) that handles all information at every step of the water supply process, from the water intake station to the consumer's water tap. It also runs an internationally accredited water quality analysis institution that promotes international technical cooperation and knowledge exchanges with partner organizations abroad. USAID Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO-Asia) is linking K-Water with PWA to improve the water quality management and operations for the Khon Khaen waterworks, benefiting the city’s residents and strengthening PWA’s capacity to monitor and ensure safe water quality. The partners area improving water quality in a pilot area with an approximate population of 15,000 that experiences chlorine residual and high turbidity issues.