The water shortage on Thailand's Koh Samui has been blamed on droughts and intensive international tourism. Photo / Kit Suman, Unsplash
The water shortage on Thailand's Koh Samui has been blamed on droughts and intensive international tourism. Photo / Kit Suman, Unsplash
A holiday resort island in Thailand has been told it has fewer than 30 days of drinking water left.
Koh Samui is a popular holiday destination and the second largest island in the Gulf of Thailand. Palm-lined beaches and Buddhist history make it a mecca for international tourists, with hundreds of resorts and hotels crammed into the 220sq km. But the thirst for tourism development has caused a big problem.
The huge strain on infrastructure and recent lack of rainfall means that the island is close to running dry.
On Sunday the Bangkok Post reported a dire shortage of fresh water with only 30 days worth in reserves.
Some on the island have already reported taps running dry in their households.
Ratchaporn Poonsawat, chair of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, said that the high season has not yet arrived, with increased bookings expected for the second half of the year.
Water, water everywhere? The Thai tourist island of Koh Samui has been told it will run out of water 30 days. Photo / Nahel Patel, Unsplash
While the cost of bottled water is pushing up prices for hospitality, locals are complaining it is costing them 250 to 300 baht ($10 to $14) a day for drinking water.
“The mounting costs associated with the shortage could also adversely affect the livelihood of hospitality workers on the island. If water supplies continue to deplete, these hard-working individuals might be forced to bear higher living costs” Ratchaporn told Thai news site The Thaiger.
The Thai government said it planned to bring water from the mainland via pipeline however the deputy mayor of the neighbouring Surat Thani province, which supplies the water, says it is only able to supply 24,000 cubic metres of the island’s 30,000 daily water needs.
The forecast dryer climate of the El Nino weather pattern is predicted to bring less rain than average, over the rest of the year.
