Urgent Water Crisis For Pattaya Hotels And Tourism

[george]

Pattaya hotel and tourism sector calls water problem a crisis

"Government hiding the truth"

CHONBURI: -- Hoteliers and tourism business operators in the popular seaside resort Pattaya of Thailand's eastern province of Chonburi meeting on Friday said they would ask their members of parliament (MP) to petition Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for a solution to the current water shortage.

Speaking at a panel discussion on water shortage in the country's eastern provinces, Thanet Supornsahasrangsee, President of the Pattaya Travel and Tourism Association, said the government is still hiding the truth about the reality of the water crisis.

The true extent of the water shortage is more severe than what the government portrays, he said.

Pattaya needs 120,000 cubic metres of water per day , Mr. Thanet said, but East Water Company and the Royal Irrigation Department now provide the city with only 80,000 cubic metres a day.

The 40,000 cubic metre shortfall, must be made up by residential customers and the business sector themselves who are forced to buy directly from commercial water supply trucks at 100 baht per cubic metre.

He said the association would work with local MPs to negotiate an immediate solution to the water shortage crisis by meeting with the prime minister, warning that the problem, if prolonged would affect the local tourism and cost the nation billions of baht in a loss of tourism revenue.

--TNA 2005-08-12

[sting01]

What a full bag of bul****

Our beloved leader , Khun Tax Sin, have himself say there is no water shortage.

I am supposing this article to be a hoax, and diffused only to hurt the tourism of the marvellous kingdom of the angels.

It's well know there is no bird flue, no tsunami, no problem at the airport, no water shortage, no drug nor prostitution but only happy happy DTAC citizens.

on the other hand(s), if really there is some thai persons that are complaining about water shortage, or problems with chickens or also about how the western help were distribuated to the tsunamis survivors, I do hope the police will do the usual good work, arrest them and find they are not thai but only farangs who usurped the thai nationality. As for the bird flue and .... (see the list) it's well know thai people can not think by themself nor complain a government composed of CEO who all know best.

Btw us , weather change, even if USA refuse to admit it. Maybe if the princes who gouvern us (Machialveli "Il Principe") open their eyes they will simply see what we can see everyday.

Please the moderators to consider I simply tried to be humoristic, maybe sacarstic, but not at all insulting, or look down on someone else. Anyway I simply used what I daily read in Bangkokpost ... As french I still believe in the newspapers.

Roxanne, under the red light ( if I remenber the lyrics)

Sting

[ayakiawe]

Nature works and can't be stopped.

Can we humans ever figure things out?

If you just take….. and don’t give back….. guess what?

Things just stop working.

Thai’s and Farangs alike keep taking from the natural environment here in Thailand such that something must give.

People most everywhere are not willing to deal with their own shoot (wastes correctly that is).

It doesn’t work to just dig a hole in the ground either and send it all underground with 10 times more water than you need to hide it away from the rest of the living world.

Create sustainable living systems and you will have everything and more you will ever need!

It’s so easy in the tropics if you know how to work with the natural systems.

They way things are done here though is the opposite!

Burn, flush, spray, and destroy the nature till it comes back with a vengeance!

Wake up people before it’s too late!

If nothing else check out the King of Thailand’s work with his natural living and farming systems he is always developing.

Look up “permaculture in Thailand” on a web site search too.

These folks and these systems are for sure part of the winning solutions for the change that must take place if we will survive as a people here in Thailand and the rest of the world for the matter!

Edited August 12, 2005 by ayakiawe

[pschef]

I can confirm, watched the water trucks filling up the bars in walking street. buying water like that WHY??

[COBBER]

Pick-Up trucks with water tanks is the biggest growth industry in Pattaya.

Certainly some hotels have been buying in water on a daily basis for all of this year.

[loong]

The 40,000 cubic metre shortfall, must be made up by residential customers and the business sector themselves who are forced to buy directly from commercial water supply trucks at 100 baht per cubic metre.

Where do the water supply trucks get the water from?

[Frosty]

I can confirm, watched the water trucks filling up the bars in walking street. buying water like that WHY??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Go down ,during the day,to the Soi between the Soi across from The V.C. Hotel and the Soi that runns behind Tony's to walking. I don't know the name of this soi ,mostly food satands but on the east side of the street there is a new Arab club if you look up you'll see a large blue PVC pipe for filling water trucks. If you're there at the right time of the daay you can see them filling up BIG water trucks .That pipe is 12in in dia. and water just flowes from it. But just less than a block away none of the clubs,bars ,hotels..etc. on Walking St. have water! no water for more than 2 months! I know people who have not had water in their homes for over 4 months. This is not a new problem on an impending the water shortage has been going on for a loooooong time!

[eljeque]

Maprachan Reservoir........ government water

[Frosty]

I agree ,you see a lott of trucks w/ new tanks and new pumps around Pattaya these days. Not trying to spread more bull,I have heard that the trucks can buy water from the city!

[h90]

sounds logic for me (at least for here). Some might argument it like that:

people have work and income, the city gets money (the officials their bride) and the citicien gets water. So good for everyone

I agree ,you see a lott of trucks w/ new tanks and new pumps around Pattaya these days. Not trying to spread more bull,I have heard that the trucks can buy water from the city!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[sriracha john]

It's well know there is no bird flue, no tsunami, no problem at the airport, no water shortage, no drug nor prostitution but only happy happy

DTAC ***delete DTAC, insert AIS*** citizens.

In keeping with the gist of your post...

Everyone knows that AIS customers are much more pleased than DTAC customers....

[Thug]

I agree. The most loved network in Thailand - AIS.

Good promotions, although a little expensive on fee calls?

Edited August 12, 2005 by Thug

[sriracha john]

The Pattaya Hotel Association will have to get in line behind the Chonburi/Rayong factories that have threatened the government with cutting back production for weeks... There is an acute water shortage across the entire Eastern Seaboard, hence the cabinet meeting last week being held in Chantaburi. All the big factories say they don't have ample water to maintain production levels. The government retorts with "yes, they do" but we will solve the problem by piping in water from Chachaengsao and even pipe it in from the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok and also pipe it in from Cambodia... of course, these are projects that will take months and years to complete and the factories need water NOW.

So the government has come up with several, more immediate resolutions such as damming the Rayong river as well as diverting the water usage at one of the resorvoirs in that province. But the citizens have stood up and said, "WAIT! that is water for household use.. what will we use??" and the fishermen have stood up and said, "WAIT! if you dam up the river we won't be able to get our boats out to sea??" The citizens there have stood up to be counted and stressed that household use of water is of more importance than multi-national factories using millions of liters of water.

In the meantime, resorvoirs all along the Eastern Seaboard at record low levels... the recent rains have helped somewhat..

but... the problem remains...

and it's a big one.

[aletta]

Mr Thaksin says there is no water crisis and then Deputy PM Mr Somkid orders an investigation into who is at fault for the lack of water.

[Martin]

100 baht per cubic metre works out at one baht for ten litres, if my old brain is still figuring right.

Excellent value for money for such an admirable product.

Unfortunately there are those who will use it wastefully if you pipe it in to them cheaper. But trucking it to them uses diesel.

So best to go back to the village system and pay the kids a bit of pocket money to haul it, from a hand pump, in plastic containers in a barrow. That would alleviate the child obesity problem, too.

[loong]

100 baht per cubic metre works out at one baht for ten litres, if my old brain is still figuring right.

Excellent value for money for such an admirable product.

Unfortunately there are those who will use it wastefully if you pipe it in to them cheaper. But trucking it to them uses diesel.

So best to go back to the village system and pay the kids a bit of pocket money to haul it, from a hand pump, in plastic containers in a barrow. That would alleviate the child obesity problem, too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, but it appears that the water trucks are intercepting the piped water, aggravating the water shortage, and selling it on at a vast profit.

[ilyushin]

Better water management by Pattaya residents and tourist would help.

Remember the number toilets, showers , car wash, industrial consumption, etc... Several water treatment facility and strong local campaigns to minimize the usage of H2O would show a wiser usage and make the shortfall less of an impact. It is obviously a mis-managed project that locals must address immediately and also on a national level due to the torism concerns which are already a shortfall$$$$$$$s. What about some of the villages in Isan? Guess their water shortage is disregarded because it isn't a tourist attraction and in the international press. Get the local infrastructure in place, make some local limitation on units. Higher prices for volume consumption, ideas need to be put into action "nationwide" on the use of H20. Save water and drink beer folks!

[Martin]

Replying to Loong: I thought the posts above meant that the city was selling the water at this interception point.

Even if the city supplied it there for free, I can't see that these trucks are making a vast profit. Delivering at 100 bahts per tonne (which is the weight of a cubic metre of water) can't leave much profit.

The real villains in this matter are hotel owners and factory owners who didn't allow for the community water supply becoming overstretched. Setting up businesses and expecting the taxpayers to provide you with unlimited free infrastructure is irresponsible, at the very least.

Edited August 12, 2005 by Martin

[marios]

Water shortage in Pattaya,drought and forest fires in Indonesia,drought and forest fires in Iberia,floods in central Europe and the Balkans, melting of the ice caps and of the permafrost in Siberia just to name a few of the calamities caused by global warming. Unfortunately things are moving very fast, I don't dare to imagine how things will look in ten years time.

May God protect us all.

[loong]

Replying to Loong:  I thought the posts above meant that the city was selling the water at this interception point.

Even if the city supplied it there for free, I can't see that these trucks are making a vast profit. Delivering at 100 bahts per tonne (which is the weight of a cubic metre of water) can't leave much profit.

If there was no profit they wouldn't be doing it.

I don't know how much these trucks can carry, but assuming 5,000 litres, would be selling for 500 Baht per trip. Probably a profit of 400 Baht

10 trips per day = 4000 Baht per day profit, 120,000 Baht per month

[Martin]

I wouldn't feel terribly optimistic, if I was runnimg a 5-ton truck and only grossing 5000 bahts per day.

I know driver wages are low here and presumably insurance and truck registration fees are a bit less than in the West, but that sort of work is hard on a truck and to put way enough to replace in two years would take at least 1000 baht a day.

And then there is fuel and tyre costs.

So I don't think I would be able to anticipate a brilliant bottom line.

However the bottom line must be reasonably positive for these operators, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.

Ilyushin would have approved of a village that I once stayed in in Nepal. The beer was cheaper than the water!!!

The stream water couldn't be drunk, or even washed in, due to sewage in it from villages above, and bottled water was expensive because it came in on a trail that took four days for the porters. But the beer came in from somewhere else that was only three days walking away.

Thailand is lucky that it has enough water to support its population (and quite a lot of paying guests from countries with cold winters) if it develops appropriate community/political management arrangements, and enforces their obeyance.

Despite the impression given by some contributors to this forum, I still maintain that it is making good progress in that direction----certainly much faster progress than was made by the developed nations at that stage in their industrialisation.

(If evidence is requested, I always point out that, only 5 generations ago, many of the highly-developed industrial cities of England had life expectancies of only 35 to 40 for their 'labouring classes' and only 45 to 50 for their 'professional classes'. And their level of corruption was awful.)

[puyaidon]

I have talked to several bar managers and they all complain about the water. The hotel I stay in on Soi 8 has water that looks like it came from a klong. Makes you use the bottled water to brush your teeth. I know they buy water from a truck as it delivers water every day. No water crisis? Somebody is realling dreaming if they think it is not real. But then, most of the politicos live in a dream world anyway. They can't see the truth if it slapped them up the side of their head.

[COBBER]

The 40,000 cubic metre shortfall, must be made up by residential customers and the business sector themselves who are forced to buy directly from commercial water supply trucks at 100 baht per cubic metre.

Where do the water supply trucks get the water from?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There are a series of bore holes around Pattaya that some enterprising land owners have set up. Macrapbarn reservior was totaly empty 2 weeks ago and with the little bit of rain weve had would now have a few puddles.

When i buy in water the price is 150 baht per 1000 lit. Some pay 200 baht per 1000 lit.

There are many Thais who have put tanks and pumps on the back of old pickups and are making a nice little earner.

[arthsch]

i suppose, the pick-up water sellers take the water from the normal city water pipe and than they are selling the water to the restaurants. a new kind of business. to steal the water and sell it to the victims!

[Heiniken]

Yeah and Pattaya is setting up 10 000 new houses , condos ,apartments , homes theese days .. Gess what !! They are gonna use some water too .. TIT !!!!

[chuckd]

I have been paying 150 baht for a small tanker full (2,000 liters). My city water is on most nights but off during the day. We can survive by bringing in water every other day or so.

Most of the water tankers get their water from underground water wells. There are a few artesian wells off of Soi Siam Country Club that supply much of the current water deliveries. Our water truck delivers well water.

Mabprachan Reservoir is virtually empty but the rocket scientists that run the city are exploring Desalination plants as well as a pipeline to deliver water from Rayong. The problem is that desal plants are too expensive and, since the pipeline company is owned by a local politicians relative, it will take 8 to 10 years to complete. I jest.....but not much.

[coldcrush]

I agree ,you see a lott of trucks w/ new tanks and new pumps around Pattaya these days. Not trying to spread more bull,I have heard that the trucks can buy water from the city!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

TIT (This is Thailand)...

[toni157]

The water crisis here is a forerunner of the future! The shortages in Pattaya and the Eastern Seboard are real, as usual the dumb tourists feel it is Thai inefficiency. They are wrong - don't forget that the eastern seaboard has more to support than the drunken tourists of Pattaya. The "Detroit of the East" in Rayong and the port of Lam Caebong all need water and every steel mill or copper smelt operating needs loads of water. This is an issue that will not dissapear - get use to it

[loong]

The water crisis here is a forerunner of the future! The shortages in Pattaya and the Eastern Seboard are real, as usual the dumb tourists feel it is Thai inefficiency. They are wrong - don't forget that the eastern seaboard has more to support than the drunken tourists of Pattaya. The "Detroit of the East" in Rayong and the port of Lam Caebong all need water and every steel mill or copper smelt operating needs loads of water. This is an issue that will not dissapear - get use to it

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whose inneficiency is it then?

Who allowed massive expansion of dwelling units without the infrastructure in place?

[toni157]

Loong, don't be short sighted. Water has always been a problem in South East Asia, just ask anyone in Singapore! You want the industrial expansion, the hotels - where do you think the water comes from?