Water reserves holding strong

The confident assessment came at a meeting held at the Phuket Provincial Office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket) yesterday, chaired by DDPM-Phuket Chief Udomporn Kan.

As of yesterday (Apr 18), Bang Wad Reservoir in Kathu had 4.7 million cubic metres of water (46.1% full), Bang Neaw Dum Reservoir in Srisoonthorn had 4.84mn cubic metres of water (67.3%) and Klong Kata Reservoir in Chalong had 2.13mn cubic metres of water (51.4%), Mr Udormporn said.

Of note, in late February water levels at the island’s three main reservoirs were holding at about 80% full. By Apr 1 they were about 65% full.

While the demand for water in Phuket remains about 70,000mn cubic metres per day, with the inflow into the reservoirs and the dozens of private sources used to bolster supply to mains water network, the water situation “is sufficient for the dry season”, Mr Udomporn said.

Regardless, the officers present, including from the Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority and Phuket City Municipality went through the emergency action plan for at-risk areas in case water reserves become greatly depleted before the rains arrive.

“The province still asks people to cooperate by using water economically to ensure we have enough water to use throughout the year,” Mr Udomporn said.