The home owner, Pornsak Sangsri, complained to the Phuket Provincial Water Authority (PWA) when he received the bill, and on Friday (June 5), a team from went to his house on Thungka-Kuandindang Rd in Rassada to investigate.
“I was surprised when I received a B16,829 water bill for May, said Mr Pornsak. “Only two people live here and we normally pay no more than B200 a month.
“I went to the provincial water work̕s office because I thought there might be something wrong with the meter or the water supply system,” he said.
Following the inspection of the property, it was found that there was a pipe leaking under Mr Pornsak̕s house and this caused the water meter to run constantly.
Officials advised Mr Pornsak to shut off the water when it was not needed and find a plumber to fix the leak as soon as possible.
Managing Director of the PWA, Pisak Cholayut, told reporters that home owners are responsible for water leaks found within their properrty, and that home owners are still reponsible for paying the bill even if it is higher than normal.
However, he did state that in cases such as Mr Pornsak's it is possible to pay the bill in installments rather than as a one-time payment.
Mr Pisak also added that this type of incident is not a one-off and happens often in Phuket because the water pipes laid in housing project are not up to standard.
However, he added that it is the responsibility of the home owner to check their water meter to see if it is turning at a faster rate than usual so they can know if something is wrong.