Water rationing starts 1st July

[Tropicalevo]

For those on PWA water - rationing starts soon.

 

[Troy Tempest]

I went to the reservoir at Namuang yesterday.

 

It was nearly empty.

 

I know we get water from other sources also, but it is not looking good unless we get plenty of rain very soon!

 

 

 

 

Edited June 16, 2023 by Troy Tempest

[Rick Farang]

Would somebody explain this in English please?

[BenStark]

3 minutes ago, Rick Farang said:

Would somebody explain this in English please?

It means the watertrucks will at least tripple in price

[Tropicalevo]

10 hours ago, BenStark said:

It means the watertrucks will at least tripple in price

The larger trucks are now charging up to 800 baht. (Almost double).

The bad news is that most are not delivering to 'casual' buyers. They are struggling to deliver enough water to their regular customers.

There has never been government water to the people here up on the NE peninsular. We have always depended on wells and trucks.

Wells are drying up. (My own well was 100 meters deep and that dried up six years ago.)

[Dario]

57 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

(My own well was 100 meters deep and that dried up six years ago.)

 

Well, that's pretty alarming!

[Pink Mist]

A troll post bringing Biden into the OP has been removed. This is about rationing on the Islands.  The OP is:

 

Water rationing starts 1st July

[lom]

20 hours ago, Rick Farang said:

Would somebody explain this in English please?

24 hour on, 24 hour off, 24 hour on, 24 hour off.  And so on (sic) until further notice.

[billd766]

If any government in Thailand wants to save water then ban Songkran where billions of litres of water are wasted every year.

 

Go back to the old proper version of Songkran.

[kwilco]

8 hours ago, billd766 said:

If any government in Thailand wants to save water then ban Songkran where billions of litres of water are wasted every year.

 

Go back to the old proper version of Songkran.

This is not true - the amount of water thrown is less than a single days rain and only in a few restricted areas - just look at the roads during Songkhran to get an idea of how much is used.

compared to that used by industry or tourism, hotels etc. on a single day it pales into insignificance.

Edited June 17, 2023 by kwilco

[kwilco]

There is now a mains water pipeline supplying Samui from the mainland It was completed in 2022. It was expected to help mitigate the problem of freshwater scarcity in Koh Samui, which has been a major issue for years. There have always been water shortages on Samui – an island that had a tiny population until the tourists started arriving in numbers in the 1980s/90s by 2019 rising to around 2.7 million per annum is bound to have problems.

The reservoir for the pipeline is located in Surat Thani Province It is hoped it will supply about 70% of the water to Koh Samui. But this year El Niño promises drought throughout Thailand and so even the new sources of water for the island will have to be restricted.

Many people on Samui get their water by boring down into the sandy water table. Unfortunately that is becoming less accessible and some of the water table has been polluted by the massive garbage back up at the improperly prepared tip in near the border of Maret and Namaeung.

The tankers around the island usually fill from reservoirs. The reservoirs on the isand need constant dredging dur=e to the silt from run-off from the hills.

The other tankers you see are the ones that empty sceptic tanks and other waste systems – the big question is where they dispose of their toxic cargos…

[Tropicalevo]

4 hours ago, kwilco said:

There is now a mains water pipeline supplying Samui from the mainland It was completed in 2022

I read a report back in February when people on Samui started complaining about the drought. The local 'powers that be' said that there were problems with the pipeline/pumps. Isn't this always the case with these 'expensive' infrastructure projects?

The killer to the water problem here is the drainage.

In days gone by, Samui always flooded when it rained. Standing rainwater slowly seeped into the aquifers and kept them topped up.

People complained about the flooding. Especially after the airport was closed for three days in 2011.

So, a major drainage system was installed causing all of the floodwater to run into the sea.

Aquifers slowly drying out. The level of the water in them has dropped dramatically over recent years.

The aquifers are needed as there are lots of areas on the island where the PWA does not provide water.

Ho hum - looking for a friend to shower with so that we can save water. ????

Edited June 18, 2023 by Tropicalevo

[kwilco]

6 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

I read a report back in February when people on Samui started complaining about the drought. The local 'powers that be' said that there were problems with the pipeline/pumps. Isn't this always the case with these 'expensive' infrastructure projects?

The killer to the water problem here is the drainage.

In days gone by, Samui always flooded when it rained. Standing rainwater slowly seeped into the aquifers and kept them topped up.

People complained about the flooding. Especially after the airport was closed for three days in 2011.

So, a major drainage system was installed causing all of the floodwater to run into the sea.

Aquifers slowly drying out. The level of the water in them has dropped dramatically over recent years.

The aquifers are needed as there are lots of areas on the island where the PWA does not provide water.

Ho hum - looking for a friend to shower with so that we can save water. ????

Certainly run off is a problem especially as a result of building roads and housing.

Also a major source of water for inducidual housing in the aquifer and also some communal wells as well.

Apart from water shortage there is also potential for subsidence. 

I think the pipeline supplies somewhere between half and 2 thirds of the island's water...or that is the intention.... whether or not that caters for the future I couldn't say ...

 

[Tropicalevo]

Now things are getting serious.

For flushing the toilets, we can us the pool water.

For washing, we can go in the pool.

But....

          no ice in both the local 7/11 nor the  FamilyMart! ????

[islandguy]

Any salt water intrusion causing wells near the ocean becoming salty? I seem to remember problems with this in Lipa Noi.

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, islandguy said:

Any salt water intrusion causing wells near the ocean becoming salty? I seem to remember problems with this in Lipa Noi.

Yep.

Quite a few apparently.

Shame that the local government did not support the desalination plant that was built by the Brits. I think that it was Essex Water.

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, islandguy said:

Any salt water intrusion causing wells near the ocean becoming salty? I seem to remember problems with this in Lipa Noi.

It's depending on how deep you make the well.

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

It's depending on how deep you make the well.

Wells on Samui - which has a sandy composition are bored to varying depths into the aquifer. How the aquifer is supplied in not just depth.

THe problem of salt water intrusion depends on things like storm surges and sea inundation. BUT also is you take large amounts of freshwater out of the aquifer it can be replaced by salt water is the levels change to much.

The other problem for the freshwater aquifer is pollution from unsuitable garbage disposal. Many houses have neither main water nor drainage and use sceptic tanks and soak-aways. These work up to a point but if overloaded then they cause problems.

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, kwilco said:

Wells on Samui - which has a sandy composition are bored to varying depths into the aquifer. How the aquifer is supplied in not just depth.

THe problem of salt water intrusion depends on things like storm surges and sea inundation. BUT also is you take large amounts of freshwater out of the aquifer it can be replaced by salt water is the levels change to much.

The other problem for the freshwater aquifer is pollution from unsuitable garbage disposal. Many houses have neither main water nor drainage and use sceptic tanks and soak-aways. These work up to a point but if overloaded then they cause problems.

I live beachfront and has a well without salt water. If a beachfront well is too deep the water can become salty. Otherwise it has to be a very deep bore, like my neighbour has. However, the sandy soil gave other problems with water quality; today I use hill-water from a tank-truck...????

[kwilco]

2 hours ago, khunPer said:

I live beachfront and has a well without salt water. If a beachfront well is too deep the water can become salty. Otherwise it has to be a very deep bore, like my neighbour has. However, the sandy soil gave other problems with water quality; today I use hill-water from a tank-truck...????

THe freshwater aquifer is not at one level - it is a wavy layer and may not even exist in some areas.

There are 4 basic soils on Samui and  characteristics can vary within relatively short distances, and local variations can occur within that.

Sandy soil is by far the best for filtering out bacteria and pollutants - that's why they use stuff like that on sewage farms.

[khunPer]

13 hours ago, kwilco said:

THe freshwater aquifer is not at one level - it is a wavy layer and may not even exist in some areas.

That is, what I'm saying...

[kwilco]

52 minutes ago, khunPer said:

That is, what I'm saying...

"If a beachfront well is too deep the water can become salty" is not the specific cause of saltwater intrusion or beachfront even. There are various causes.

What you experience is not universal.

Edited June 21, 2023 by kwilco

[blackcab]

How do hotels manage this? Do they have extra large water tanks that have enough storage for the period when there is no supply?

 

Otherwise I can see quite a few unhappy tourists who can't have a shower or flush their toilet.

[kwilco]

5 hours ago, blackcab said:

How do hotels manage this? Do they have extra large water tanks that have enough storage for the period when there is no supply?

 

Otherwise I can see quite a few unhappy tourists who can't have a shower or flush their toilet.

Almost every building on the island and most of Thailand has water storage tanks. Water is often pumped electrically into the bathroom etc..

When the principle water supply runs out, the tanks work for a period and then you see the water tankers scurrying around the island.

This is one of the reasons you should never drink water from the tap in Thailand.

Many hotels may have bores into the aquifer too.

Edited June 21, 2023 by kwilco

[blackcab]

@kwilco Thank you for the reply. I was wondering about bore holes as each guest can use several hundred litres per day.

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, blackcab said:

@kwilco Thank you for the reply. I was wondering about bore holes as each guest can use several hundred litres per day.

So the main sources of water are the pip=line from the mainland.

some reservoir around the island and boreholes into the aquifer.

There are a couple of desalination plants - but these are problematic including: high energy consumption, Desalination requires a lot of energy to remove salt from seawater, the power required puts a strain on the island's electrical grid.

It also produces concentrated bring which has an environmental impact. The brine produced can be harmful to marine life if it is not disposed of properly.

Cost of desalination is a relatively expensive way to produce water. This can make it difficult for the island to afford the necessary infrastructure. and dispose of the brine in a safe way.

[Tropicalevo]

17 hours ago, blackcab said:

How do hotels manage this? Do they have extra large water tanks that have enough storage for the period when there is no supply?

 

Otherwise I can see quite a few unhappy tourists who can't have a shower or flush their toilet.

Stayed in a hotel in Chaweng some time in 2000 whilst building my house.

Yep - drought even back then. No water.

Hotel provided free bottled water for flushing and washing.

I would mention that it was not a five star hotel.

 

Six Senses built a desalination plant. (Desalinated water plays havoc with swimming pools.)

Not sure what happened to it but for the last two years they have had water trucks delivering 24/7.

Nora Buri and the Nora beach also have water trucks 24/7. Nora Buri have so many trucks that the road collapsed last year and a truck rolled into the 'jungle'. It collapsed where the trucks stop and unload the water.

[Tropicalevo]

12 hours ago, kwilco said:

This is one of the reasons you should never drink water from the tap in Thailand.

Many hotels may have bores into the aquifer too.

When I dug my well, I had the water tested.

It was potable but high in iron. (That is why there is usually a brown residue building up in the water tanks.)

Now, the water quality is much worse. We have recently filled up a swimming pool.

.

[ExpatOilWorker]

2 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

When I dug my well, I had the water tested.

It was potable but high in iron. (That is why there is usually a brown residue building up in the water tanks.)

Now, the water quality is much worse. We have recently filled up a swimming pool.

.

Why don't you collect rain water?

Samui is getting about 2 m of rain annually and with a bit of filtering it is crystal clear.

I have 50 m3 of storage and exclusively use rainwater.

[Tropicalevo]

3 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Why don't you collect rain water?

Samui is getting about 2 m of rain annually and with a bit of filtering it is crystal clear.

I have 50 m3 of storage and exclusively use rainwater.

Simple answer -

We get less rain here on the peninsular than the rest of Samui. Something to do with the hills and the channel between Samui and KPN.

The house is 23 years old. I did not know of this phenomenon back then. (No rain since February here.)

I did have a 3,000 litre tank collecting rainwater but there was never enough than for garden watering - for a while.

I do not have enough room for 15 water tanks.