Chiang Mai University cares about managing water sustainably and responsibly, not only on campus but also in the wider community beyond it. This story is about "Clean Water Access for Nongmontha Village, Chiang Mai, Thailand", carried out by the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Social Sciences with the Mae Win Subdistrict Administrative Organization and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Nongmontha (Mo Wa Khi), in Mae Win Subdistrict, Mae Wang District, is a long-established community in a special cultural zone, with 96 households and 318 people, and it has faced two to three years of drought. The goal is a clean water system that the community manages itself (community-led water management) and uses responsibly (responsible water use) over the long term. Examples of the work from 2024 to 2026 follow.
Listening before designing: surveying water use in four villages (27 February 2024)
The Faculty of Engineering and Nanyang Technological University met the Mae Win SAO and representatives of four villages, sampled water at three sources, and surveyed water-use rates, water quality, tank and pump locations and pipe routes, to inform the system design and cost estimate. The work began with the drought the villagers described.
Designing around the village's water needs (15 October 2024)
Phase 2 formally began (1 October 2024 – 30 April 2027), using local data. The village has two sides with separate water sources and supply systems. The spring pond yields about 40 m? a day and the groundwater well about 9 m? a day, against demand of about 15 and 17 m? a day. Solar-powered pumps lift water to storage tanks, and membrane filtration with UV disinfection treats it.
Starting Phase 2 with local government (7 May 2026)
The Faculty of Social Sciences met the Mae Win SAO chief to begin Phase 2. The aims are to ease dry-season shortages and make the water safe to drink, with the community and local government managing the water.
Planning long-term care of the system (25 May 2026)
The Faculties of Social Sciences and Engineering met the SAO and community leaders to explain construction of the pumping and supply system, and set out how the community would manage its own water over the long term alongside construction.
An open forum to set direction with the community (28 July 2026)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wasan Panyakaew and his team held a forum with community leaders and representatives to fit the work to local needs, and discussed forming a village water-supply management committee to guide, oversee and run the system transparently.
Helping the community learn and decide about its own water (1 September 2026)
The research team and the Mae Win SAO technical team met the Nongmontha village water committee to set the direction for the water system, compare management models, and plan a study visit to communities that manage water well. The focus is on building the community's knowledge, information and decision-making power over its own water.
[Image: field visits and meetings with the community]
From 2024 to 2026, Chiang Mai University worked with the Mae Win SAO and the Nongmontha community, from surveying water use and designing a system matched to demand to supporting a village water committee, so that a community outside the University can manage and use its water responsibly and sustainably (community-led water management, responsible water use, wider community).
References
- Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University. Engineering team with Nanyang Technological University visits Mae Win SAO to collect data for "Clean Water Access for Nongmontha Village, Chiang Mai, Thailand – Feasibility Studies". 29 March 2024.
- Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University. Kick off! Phase 2, Clean Water Access for Nongmontha Village. 15 October 2024.
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University. CMU and Mae Win SAO cooperate on research to develop community clean water systems. 7 May 2026.
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University. Social Sciences and Engineering visit Nongmontha to develop the community clean water system. 26 May 2026.
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University. Social Sciences field visit to build understanding of the Clean Water Access for Nongmontha Village project, Phase 2. 31 July 2026.
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University. Building participation and empowering Nongmontha in water management. 7 September 2026.