Construction of Phase 5 of the expansion, costing about B129.35 million, started on Sept 10 last year, explained Wiriya Tevanukul of Patong Municipality’s Division of Public Health.
“At this stage, construction is already proceeding ahead of schedule. If the construction keeps going quickly like this, Phase 5 will be finished much faster than the plan,” Ms Wiriya said.
The previous expansion, Phase 4, upgraded the plant to treat approximately 30,000 cubic litres of wastewater a day, Ms Wiriya explained.
“On a normal day, there is about 24,000m3 of wastewater to be treated, but in the high season this can rise up to 32,000m3,” she said.
“Currently, when the volume of wastewater to be treated exceeds the plant’s capacity, we have to keep the excess in holding tanks first and treat later when the plant can accommodate it,” she added.
“But when Phase 5 is completed, the plant will be able to treat up to 39,000m3 of wastewater a day, which is higher than the amount of wastewater we need to treat in the tourism high season,” Ms Wiriya said.