Detect Quickly, Report Quickly, and Get Fixed Quickly: NRW management in Thailand's EEC with Bordin Udol, CEO of East Water

In this episode of the Exec Exchange podcast, host Piers Clark speaks with Bordin Udol, Chief Executive of East Water in Bangkok, about safeguarding water security in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a key economic zone spanning three provinces. Bordin shares his 30-year career journey from designing Bangkok wastewater systems to leading East Water, which manages the full water lifecycle through a 553 km water grid connected to 17 reservoirs and major rivers, delivering both drinking water and wastewater services through its subsidiary, Universal Utilities (UU). The conversation focuses on challenges including climate volatility (El Niño droughts, La Niña heavy rains), saltwater intrusion, and managing non-revenue water (NRW). East Water reduced transmission losses from over 3% to about 1.3% and distribution losses from 30%+ to 16% using rapid-response operations, hydraulic modeling, and AI-enabled leakage detection.00:00 Welcome and guest intro00:38 Bordin career journey01:59 Why water security matters02:24 What East Water does04:08 EEC growth and demand05:35 Climate volatility06:07 Cutting NRW06:43 Tech and fast leak response08:33 Distribution NRW and AI10:55 Advice to younger self11:32 Closing remarks