Tokyo Suido Services Co. has reached a broad agreement with the Thai Metropolitan Waterworks Authority to maintain Bangkok's waterworks, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials.
Tokyo Suido, which manages water facilities under the metropolitan government, is the first Japanese local government entity to get a water system maintenance order from abroad, the officials said.
The company will sign a final contract worth ¥20 million to ¥30 million with the Thai authority, possibly this month, they said.
Under the contract, the firm's joint venture in Thailand will check leaks at waterworks and problems with water meters, and manage the relevant repair or replacement operations over several months, before considering expanding such services.
Southeast Asian countries, which face an expanding demand for water, are plagued with leaky waterworks, water theft and other problems.
Tokyo Suido hopes to sell its services to Malaysia and Taiwan as well.