The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plans to charge waste water treatment fees for commercial buildings in the capital, tentatively from the end of this year.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said yesterday (Saturday) that the city is spending about 600 million baht annually to operate its eight waste water treatment facilities and has not, to date, charged households or commercial buildings for the service.

He said that the rates will be 4 baht per cubic metre of waste water released into the drainage system by Category 2 commercial buildings and 8 baht per cubic metre discharged by Category 3 commercial buildings, which include hotels and large commercial buildings.

The fees are based on 80% of tap water being used by commercial buildings, which is believed to be discharged into the drainage system as waste water.

Governor Chadchart said that commercial buildings with their own treatment facilities will not have to operate their systems, as it will be more cost effective to switch to the BMA’s facilities.

Households will be spared water treatment fees, he said.