Bangkok--8 May--AIT
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 30 April 2013 between Wastewater Management Authority (WMA), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand, and the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Thai Resources and Environmental Management Institute (TREMI) is expected to spur cooperation over the next two years in master’s level education and short-term training in the field of wastewater treatment and management.
Acting President Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai signed the tripartite agreement titled “Education and training in the area of new concept on wastewater treatment and management” on behalf of AIT at a signing ceremony and press conference at the headquarters of WMA in Bangkok. Also signing the MoU was Mr. Pairoj Sattayasansakul, Director General, WMA, and Prof. Samorn Muttamara, President, TREMI.
Prof. Worsak expressed his appreciation for the cooperation between three organizations, which will be the starting point for future development of WMA, he said. As the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is fast-approaching, competitiveness of the organization will become more important.
Staff development, both through training and further study, will equip WMA personnel to be ready for regional integration and to take a leading role among ASEAN countries, he remarked. By tapping on AIT’s connectivity, the training courses and study at AIT will provide an opportunity for the organizations to create a region-wide network of people in the same profession.
TREMI President Prof. Samorn, who retired from AIT after a highly accomplished three-decade academic career, was pleased to have a chance to work with WMA, and to work hand-in-hand with AIT. TREMI will work to select appropriate trainees and design the training course jointly with AIT. Prof. Samorn believes the combination of training courses, further study for selected staff, and study visits will help develop WMA personnel and strengthen the organization to take a leading role in the AEC.
WMA Director General Pairoj noted the possibilities for the joint cooperation between AIT and TREMI to assist WMA saying, “AIT is a prestigious institution with high potential, especially in research.”
Mr. Pairoj mentioned his organization’s three goals. First, to enhance the full use of the present wastewater management system, which is currently 60% underutilized. Second, he mentioned that 3-5 million residents in Bangkok’s suburbs lack wastewater management systems, and this must change. Third, WMA will create a public communications campaign and engage young people in local communities to create a consciousness of the importance of the problems. “We want to build a self-help society for wastewater management,” he explained.
Failing systems will be made usable by the knowledge WMA staff will gain through the training and education provided at AIT, Pairoj said. Through the three-level cooperation — involving academic aspects with AIT, networking with local people, and boosting international cooperation with organizations in other countries, he was certain that WMA would soon become a more efficient, learning organization in Thailand, and a source of learning for the region.
Photo caption: From left: Prof. Samorn Muttamara, Mr. Pairoj Sattayasansakul, and Prof. Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai.