06 ตุลาคม 2564
A new series of ISO standards has been developed to offer the international community practical tools to addressthe challenge of effectively managing limited water resources in Thailand.
"Aiming to provide the population in Thailand with access to safe drinking water and sanitation, as well as meetthe principles of sustainable development," said Mr.Somboon Sunanthapongsak, the PWA Governor.
"Their publication is a first step towards responding to the United Nations’ concern in recognizing that access towater is an essential human right. The UN has set ambitious goals to increase access to drinking water and wastewater services, particularly in developing countries. These ISO standards will play a primary role inpromoting access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation through improved governance at all levels, that is why PWA adopt these ISO series of standards so as to improve the service to users and the relevant stakeholders"
The guidelines include service-oriented standard ISO 24510 for the assessment and improvement of services tousers; management-oriented ISO 24511 for wastewater utilities and assessment of wastewater services; ISO 24512 for drinking water utilities and assessment of drinking water services.
"The main objective of the international standards is to provide the relevant stakeholders with guidelines forassessing and improving services to users, and managing water utilities in line with goals set by the relevantauthorities. Intended to facilitate dialogue between the stakeholders, the guidance will enable them to develop amutual understanding of the functions and tasks that fall within the scope of water utilities. Their implementationwill be monitored to provide feedback for further improvement," The governor explained.
To address this need, ISO developed three separate but linked standards:
•ISO 24510: Activities relating to drinking water and wastewater services
— guidelines for assessing services and improving them for users
•ISO 24511: Activities relating to drinking water and wastewater services
— guidelines for managing wastewater utilities and assessing wastewater services
•ISO 24512: Activities relating to drinking water and wastewater services
— guidelines for managing drinking water utilities and assessing drinking water services
These standards set out in sequence a description of water services and briefly describe the physical(infrastructural) and managerial (institutional) components of utilities. Core objectives for water servicesconsidered to be globally relevant at the broadest level (e.g., protection of public health, provision of services,sustainability of water utilities, environmental protection) are set out, followed by guidelines for managingutilities. These objectives are then related to examples of possible actions that may be taken to achieve them. Eachobjective can also be characterized by related service assessment criteria.
This International Standard, ISO 24510, ISO 24511 and ISO 24512 are consistent with the principle of the "plan-do-check-act" (PDCA) approach: they propose a step-by-step process, from identifying the components anddefining the objectives of the utility to establishing performance indicators, with a loop back to the objectives andto the management, after having assessed the performances.
"Because the organization of water utilities falls within a legal and institutional framework specific to eachcountry, this International Standard does not prescribe the respective roles of various stakeholders, nor does itdefine required internal organizations for local, regional or national bodies that can be involved in the provisionof water services. In particular, this International Standard does not interfere with the free choice of the responsiblebodies regarding the general organization and the management of their utilities. This International Standard isapplicable to publicly and privately owned and operated utilities alike, and does not favor any particular ownershipor operational model." Mr. Somboon revealed.
"Yes, this is the big step of PWA to moving FORWARD, it not only benefits us but also our shared water resourcesequitably and durably – which are not only crucial for our quality of life, but vital for our very survival"