Thai tourist hotspot grapples with water shortage crisis

A popular holiday island in Thailand is said to have less than 30 days worth of freshwater left.

Koh Samui, the country’s second-largest island, is known for its stunning beaches and luxury resorts, but little rainfall and flocks of tourists increasing water demand is causing significant problems for the picturesque destination.

Locals have reported turning on taps at times without any water appearing.

The island, which at least one million foreign tourists visited in the past five months, only had enough local freshwater supplies for residents for 30 days, the Bangkok Post reported on July 2.

Ratchaporn Poonsawat, the chair of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, told the publication the water shortage would mean tourism operators’ costs would rise as they would need to buy freshwater, and workers would also be facing higher living costs.

There are fears the El Nino weather phenomenon, which often brings parched conditions, will only make things worse.

Koh Samui deputy mayor Sutham Samthong told The Guardian they were taking action to solve the water shortage as they didn’t want the island to become a “disaster zone.”

He urged people on the island to use the water sparingly and said freshwater was being brought in to be distributed to the public.

He believed with careful management Koh Samui could get through the next two months until rain fell, according to the publication.

The Bangkok Post reported locals were paying 250 to 300 baht (about $7 to $9) for about 528 gallons of water for daily use when they couldn’t get it from the tap.

A water supply operation was said to have launched on the weekend which sees water sent from the mainland city of Surat Thani to Koh Samui via an underwater pipeline.