Phuket’s looming high season water crisis

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Phuket’s looming high season water crisis

By The Thaiger

 

 

PHOTOS: Siraphat Kanphonngam

 

Water shortages are almost a certainty for Phuket in the next high season with the rainfall for this year’s wet season well below average.

 

The island’s three main catchments – Bang Neow Dam off Srisoonthorn Road, Bang Wad dam in Kathu and Khlong Kratha dam in Chalong – have all increased in their water levels since the dams dropped to historically low levels back in April. But not much.

 

Read the story about the water shortages at the end of the last high-season HERE.

 

We are nearly at the centre point of the annual wet season but the levels in the dam, by The Thaiger’s estimate, are still less than 20-25% capacity. Without significant increases in rain levels, well beyond the annual average rainfall, the island will be facing acute water shortages by the middle of the busy festive and new year business season, probably before the end of January 2020.

 

The hope for heavier rainfall would be against the trend of lower rainfalls already in 2019.

 

 

This year’s monsoonal contributions from the sky have been below average with only two short spans of heavy rainfall falling in Phuket since the west season kicked late April.

 

In March and April this year water trucks became more numerous around the island than the ubiquitous passenger vans. Price gouging for water was common and secondary water storages, like some of the old tin-mine lakes, certainly not potable water supplies, were used as a resource to keep communities supplied. Hardest hit were residents in the Rassada are, east of Phuket Town. For most of March and April the residents had little or no water supply.

 

Read that story HERE.

 

Official water restrictions were threatened but never actioned by the local water authority or the Phuket Governor during the shortages earlier this year.

 

 

 

 

Source: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/environment/phukets-looming-high-season-water-crisis

 

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2019-07-11

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[Emdog]

With drop in tourism, perhaps ought to go back to calling it "dry season"

[Isaan sailor]

No worries, tourists will go elsewhere.  High Baht will ensure this.

[Joe Mcseismic]

I've lived here for over three decades and can't remember a drier rainy season. My lawn is starting to show signs of going brown again.

The water shortage next high season is going to be of a severity never seen before.

This maybe a good thing as we all know that the powers-that-be are not proactive but reactive. Only when something bad actually happens does anything actually get done about it.

[hotchilli]

30% drop in tourism will help.

[Oziex1]

Keep developing, keep building. Everything will workout fine.

[the guest]

Bad water management for decades, and as usual the authorities do not plan for every eventuality, hoping that the Apple will fall from the tree every time. 

 

Don't worry more water-thirsty hotels are being built like there was no tomorrow, which will add to the increasing woes of an appalling lack of governance, run by total incompetence, congratulations Phuket !!!

[Goldieinkathu]

I was told a few months ago that plans had been made  to run water pipes down the West coast from Phang Nga . We shall see.

Can't see it being done in time for next season though.

[nkg]

Farang think too much.

[fullcave]

Nevermind, with high speed CP chicken trains and four lane bike paths who needs water? ????

Edited July 12, 2019 by fullcave