Serious water shortage on Koh Samui
THE beautiful isle of Koh Samui is in the grips of a serious water shortage with the situation being so bad that zones have been divided to supply water alternatively, Daily News newspaper said today.
To cope with this crisis both island residents and tourists have been urged to use water sparingly.
Reporters went to inspect a reservoir at the island’s Mared subdistrict and found cracked and dried earth with there not being any raw water left to produce tap water.
This crisis has led to large hotels having to buy water from private trucks at not less than 100,000 baht a month to service their guests.
However ordinary people are worse off as they have not faced this serious a water shortage in ten years.
Surapong Somwang, manager of the Provincial Waterworks Authority Koh Samui branch, said that this crisis occurred because it has not rained on the island for a long time. The shortage has necessitated the adjustment and decrease of water production to match raw water supply.
Zones have also been carved out and alternatively supplied with water with everyone urged to unite and conserve water while also realizing its value.
Regarding long-term measures to resolve this problem, one project currently underway is the laying of a pipeline from Surat Thani to Koh Samui over a distance of 110 kilometers.
About 70% of the work has already been done and it is expected to be fully completed by February 2017 with this likely to ensure adequate raw water supply, Daily News said.
CAPTIONS:
TOP: A beautiful view of the sea from a bungalow on Koh Samui which is currently facing a serious water shortage. Photo: Arnie Papp (CC-BY-2.0)
INSET: Sunset at Koh Samui is a memorable sight. Photo: Arnie Papp (CC-BY-SA-2.0)
Source: Daily News
By Thai Residents reporters
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