Samui Government Water

[mufcsamui]

On Chaweng Parkway 1 (near Bangkok Samui Hospital) we have had no Government water for 3 weeks now, prior to that we have had a 10 day period and 2 x 4 day periods with no water . After reading the highly acclaimed Samui Express i believed there would be water rationing with water supplied during certain hours each day, which would be understandable and acceptable. However I know several people on Government water that have had no interuption to thier supply.

Anyone know whats going on.

[PoorSucker]

I also live in the area.

Same problem with government water supplies.

I guess they must prioritise the golf clubs and swimming pool owner first.

[Boater]

its a samui wide issue ....

[frankman]

its a samui wide issue ....

We have the same problem here on KPG. 

Every year the same, but a little better this year. Somebody told me about a desalination plant in baan kai, any body seen it? And is it actually working?

[H2oDunc]

Invest in a tank and get it filled by a truck. That way when the Government water is not there you have your back up. 600 baht gets me 6000 litres of filtered water delivered to the house. We also have a rain capture system on the house so when it rains the water does not just run off the roof. We have 2 large tanks so can save it for use later. I have never understood why on an island that suffers so much from water shortages there are so few capture systems ?

[ajarnmarc]

The water shortage is very serious! Room rates are sure to go up at the hotels, to make up for water bought from the private sector....deep wells!

The water is now off completely in Namuang and has been for over a week now (2/7/10) no response from the government and the only way to get water is to buy it from the private sector,

which prices can vary. The likely hood that you will get 6000 litres of filtered water delivered to the house for 600 baht is absurd. The private sectors are getting the water from wherever they can,

most of the time from private wells and they spill a great deal on the way to deliver it. A friend of mine couldn't hold all the water they brought her so they collected the money and left with what they

had in the truck, but it was far less than 6000 litres. This info from Scuba Guru is good but far from what really happens, but it's still helpful for us who don't know what we should receive for the prices that are charged.

There are now plenty of trucks running around day & night trying to make their fortune on selling water,

and as a result now more houses owned & rented by foreigners are being broke into a few days after they ordered water from some guy who has a truck and wants to make some money.

It's incredible that the government never published anything to let people know how bad the water shortage really was, and tried to do more than they had.

I did see the article in Samui Express, and spoke to my thai wife about it, but she informed me, it wasn't that bad, and that it was like this every year, not to worry.

For me, I just woke up one day and my water was off, and now it has been over seven days without a drop.

I rent the house where I stay and don't want to buy a tank to store bought water that I can then carry into the house in a bucket.

Many houses here in Koh Samui don't have a pump hooked up, nor a back up tank, so it would mean for us, a complete setup system, setup at the renters expense,

for the thai homeowners......NIce!

[crusty]

The water shortage is very serious! Room rates are sure to go up at the hotels, to make up for water bought from the private sector....deep wells!

The water is now off completely in Namuang and has been for over a week now (2/7/10) no response from the government and the only way to get water is to buy it from the private sector,

which prices can vary. The likely hood that you will get 6000 litres of filtered water delivered to the house for 600 baht is absurd. The private sectors are getting the water from wherever they can,

most of the time from private wells and they spill a great deal on the way to deliver it. A friend of mine couldn't hold all the water they brought her so they collected the money and left with what they

had in the truck, but it was far less than 6000 litres. This info from Scuba Guru is good but far from what really happens, but it's still helpful for us who don't know what we should receive for the prices that are charged.

There are now plenty of trucks running around day & night trying to make their fortune on selling water,

and as a result now more houses owned & rented by foreigners are being broke into a few days after they ordered water from some guy who has a truck and wants to make some money.

It's incredible that the government never published anything to let people know how bad the water shortage really was, and tried to do more than they had.

I did see the article in Samui Express, and spoke to my thai wife about it, but she informed me, it wasn't that bad, and that it was like this every year, not to worry.

For me, I just woke up one day and my water was off, and now it has been over seven days without a drop.

I rent the house where I stay and don't want to buy a tank to store bought water that I can then carry into the house in a bucket.

Many houses here in Koh Samui don't have a pump hooked up, nor a back up tank, so it would mean for us, a complete setup system, setup at the renters expense,

for the thai homeowners......NIce!

Your wife's comment is absurd ! How long has she been here ? You can blame the unfettered approvals to the construction yobbo's who receive a "Yes" everytime they submit a building request to the Tessabahn for resorts with pools for every hotel room, Resorts and mini hotels and Guest Houses with pools and the hundreds of villas permitted to build with private splash pools ! Now most of the water trucks are selling sewage water from Chaweng Lake ! Som Num Na !

[Gatorade]

The water shortage is very serious! Room rates are sure to go up at the hotels, to make up for water bought from the private sector....deep wells!

The water is now off completely in Namuang and has been for over a week now (2/7/10) no response from the government and the only way to get water is to buy it from the private sector,

which prices can vary. The likely hood that you will get 6000 litres of filtered water delivered to the house for 600 baht is absurd. The private sectors are getting the water from wherever they can,

most of the time from private wells and they spill a great deal on the way to deliver it. A friend of mine couldn't hold all the water they brought her so they collected the money and left with what they

had in the truck, but it was far less than 6000 litres. This info from Scuba Guru is good but far from what really happens, but it's still helpful for us who don't know what we should receive for the prices that are charged.

There are now plenty of trucks running around day & night trying to make their fortune on selling water,

and as a result now more houses owned & rented by foreigners are being broke into a few days after they ordered water from some guy who has a truck and wants to make some money.

It's incredible that the government never published anything to let people know how bad the water shortage really was, and tried to do more than they had.

I did see the article in Samui Express, and spoke to my thai wife about it, but she informed me, it wasn't that bad, and that it was like this every year, not to worry.

For me, I just woke up one day and my water was off, and now it has been over seven days without a drop.

I rent the house where I stay and don't want to buy a tank to store bought water that I can then carry into the house in a bucket.

Many houses here in Koh Samui don't have a pump hooked up, nor a back up tank, so it would mean for us, a complete setup system, setup at the renters expense,

for the thai homeowners......NIce!

Your wife's comment is absurd ! How long has she been here ? You can blame the unfettered approvals to the construction yobbo's who receive a "Yes" everytime they submit a building request to the Tessabahn for resorts with pools for every hotel room, Resorts and mini hotels and Guest Houses with pools and the hundreds of villas permitted to build with private splash pools ! Now most of the water trucks are selling sewage water from Chaweng Lake ! Som Num Na !

You're right but I'm not sure that the splash pools are anywhere near as bad as the latest hotel developments which require huge king size baths as well as the usual shower facilities. (How come

in all the advertising blurb they always have roses/orchids etc floating in the bath?).

Evidently there are some new hotels in Krabi which are having to drill deeper for water just because of this fad and for outside baths.

[Rooo]

You see them digging all over the place, installing water pipes. Is this in preparation for the desalination plants? The one that's on Lipa Noi beach is nowhere near finished as one poster has previously mentioned.

[crusty]

The water shortage is very serious! Room rates are sure to go up at the hotels, to make up for water bought from the private sector....deep wells!

The water is now off completely in Namuang and has been for over a week now (2/7/10) no response from the government and the only way to get water is to buy it from the private sector,

which prices can vary. The likely hood that you will get 6000 litres of filtered water delivered to the house for 600 baht is absurd. The private sectors are getting the water from wherever they can,

most of the time from private wells and they spill a great deal on the way to deliver it. A friend of mine couldn't hold all the water they brought her so they collected the money and left with what they

had in the truck, but it was far less than 6000 litres. This info from Scuba Guru is good but far from what really happens, but it's still helpful for us who don't know what we should receive for the prices that are charged.

There are now plenty of trucks running around day & night trying to make their fortune on selling water,

and as a result now more houses owned & rented by foreigners are being broke into a few days after they ordered water from some guy who has a truck and wants to make some money.

It's incredible that the government never published anything to let people know how bad the water shortage really was, and tried to do more than they had.

I did see the article in Samui Express, and spoke to my thai wife about it, but she informed me, it wasn't that bad, and that it was like this every year, not to worry.

For me, I just woke up one day and my water was off, and now it has been over seven days without a drop.

I rent the house where I stay and don't want to buy a tank to store bought water that I can then carry into the house in a bucket.

Many houses here in Koh Samui don't have a pump hooked up, nor a back up tank, so it would mean for us, a complete setup system, setup at the renters expense,

for the thai homeowners......NIce!

Your wife's comment is absurd ! How long has she been here ? You can blame the unfettered approvals to the construction yobbo's who receive a "Yes" everytime they submit a building request to the Tessabahn for resorts with pools for every hotel room, Resorts and mini hotels and Guest Houses with pools and the hundreds of villas permitted to build with private splash pools ! Now most of the water trucks are selling sewage water from Chaweng Lake ! Som Num Na !

You're right but I'm not sure that the splash pools are anywhere near as bad as the latest hotel developments which require huge king size baths as well as the usual shower facilities. (How come

in all the advertising blurb they always have roses/orchids etc floating in the bath?).

Evidently there are some new hotels in Krabi which are having to drill deeper for water just because of this fad and for outside baths.

Right on ! and these big hotels/resorts with kingsize baths are always the ones up front boasting how Green they are, with workshops and seminars on how to protect the environment !

[ajarnmarc]

I agree that my wife's comment is absurd, I only mention that as an example of how the Thai's are looking at this, and it's not really from a realistic point of view. Koh Samui has been facing this water shortage for many years and has done next to nothing about it. The comment that was placed about 600 baht gets me 6000 litres of filtered water, is also crazy. I agree with the comment that Now most of the water trucks are selling sewage water from Chaweng Lake. As I mentioned the trucks are getting the water to sell from wherever they can get it, I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they was getting it from the deep wells that are on the island, but it doesn't surprise me that they are drawing it out of Chaweng Lake. This is why I refuse to buy the water from the trucks, since there's no telling where exactly the water is coming from, and it's being sold at an extremely high price compared to government water, which only cost about 300 baht for the entire month, for a household of five people, 6000 liters may sound like a lot but it really only last an average size household about three to five days. The real question is what is the most practical work around for the expat renter on the island? I too see them laying pipe, but for what? The locals I spoke to, which have been many, say it's for the run off water from the rain,

they think. The local Thai's don't care much since they usually have deep wells on their land, and if that is offered with their rentals, then they have now decided to up the rent they was asking for just a year ago, to profit from the lack of foresight on the governments side addressing the water shortage. The locals also like to blame the lack of rain this year, but three years ago when Koh Samui had plenty of rain, and everywhere was flooded, the water went where? Into the ocean..... with no drainage system in place to take advantage of all the rain water we received.

[sevenhills]

Nathon seems to have ample Gov't. water. Wonder why that is?

[ajarnmarc]

I've heard about Bophut having water in the evenings, which is understandable, and work able. Is this the case with Nathon? When my wife called the government water district, they said the valves were all open, and some houses were getting it while other weren't, though they didn't know why. What's hard for me to understand is why is it just ok to now not have a drop of water in almost three weeks and very little seems to being said about it.

I would of thought this would at least make thai news channel, especially since there appears to be no solution in sight, besides the rumors about the desaltation plant, that no one can agree on where it is at, but that will take a lot of time to work and is a very expense of process.

[Rooo]

There is one desalination plant, that has been in operation for a few years, at Plai Lem.

[longtom]

Nathon seems to have ample Gov't. water. Wonder why that is?

Not anymore, many places got hardly a drop the last 10 days or so, hardly enough to fill a big bin (at 2 or 3 AM ). Others have only a slow trickle throughout the day.

Gotta go and buy some more buckets me thinks.

[sevenhills]

Nathon seems to have ample Gov't. water. Wonder why that is?

Not anymore, many places got hardly a drop the last 10 days or so, hardly enough to fill a big bin (at 2 or 3 AM ). Others have only a slow trickle throughout the day.

Gotta go and buy some more buckets me thinks.

Then we are in dire straights, as the underground water supply must also be running dry rapidly?

A rain catchment system (what rain we do get) may be required, and lots of buckets.

[maccaroni man]

Nathon seems to have ample Gov't. water. Wonder why that is?

If I remember right one or two of the main guys at the water department are also in the private business of selling water.....

[PoorSucker]

I have water pressure again (little) after one and half month.