Thailand designates commercial buildings for service with a total area of 1000 sq. meters as water pollution sources

Thailand announced “Notification of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Prescribing Category C Buildings as Pollution Sources that Must be Controlled on Wastewater Drainage to Public Water Sources or Environment B.E. 2564 (2021)” in the Royal Gazette on 25 January 2022. The notification designates category C building as a water pollution source by virtue of the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act, B.E. 2535 (1992). The notification has been effective from the next working day of the publication in the Royal Gazette.

Category C Buildings for water pollution control:

1. A condominium with fewer than 100 residential units on all floors of a building or building group;
2. A hotel with fewer than 60 guest rooms on all floors of a building or group of buildings;
3. A dormitory with at least 50 residential rooms on all floors of a building or building group but fewer than 250 rooms;
4. Place of service with total utility spaces on all floors of a building or building group from 1,000 square meters but less than 5,000 square meters;
5. Office of government, state enterprise, international organization, or private sector with total utility spaces on all floors of building or building group from 5,000 square meters but less than 10,000 square meters;
6. Market with total utility spaces on all floors of a building or building group from 1,000 square meters but less than 1,500 square meters;
7. Restaurant with total utility spaces of a building or building group from 250 square meters but less than 500 square meters.

All buildings, as mentioned above, shall be pollution sources that must be controlled for wastewater drainage to public water sources or the environment. Owners or possessors of the buildings are prohibited from draining wastewater directly into public water sources or the environment without wastewater treatment unless they comply with the standard on wastewater drainage for Category C buildings as defined in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Notification Prescribing a Standard on Wastewater Drainage Control for Certain Building Types and Sizes. Dilution is not allowed to meet the standard.

Download original text of the Notification at
http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2565/E/018/T_0042.PDF