Abstract

Rainwater has been widely use in developing countries including Thailand. In the study area, Ayutthaya, rainwater is not much in use due to the quality, abundance and low tariff of municipal water supply. However a survey of residents has shown that there is interest in using rainwater for drinking. The community purchases bottled water and treats water by boiling or by on-site purification devices. A high level of demand for rainwater use was found in this study and this is attributed to past practices and a local culture of using rainwater. It was found that more than 90% of respondents were interested in using rainwater if it was of good quality. Piped water tariffs are currently very low in the range of 4 to 5 THB per m3. Approximately 70% of households from a questionnaire survey were satisfied with the current tariff. However, it should be noted that the true cost of water should be 9-11 THB per m3. From the same survey, 63% of respondents who currently purchase bottled water are interested in using rainwater as drinking water subject to its acceptable quality. The estimation cost of pilot design is 50,000 to 80,000 THB or 1,200 to 2,500 US dollars.