PHUKET, Jan 15 (TNA) – Water
reserve in Phuket’s three main reservoirs has dropped below the acceptable
level, prompting the authorities to handle the situation of growing threat of
water shortage.
Somsawat Chaisinsorn, director of the Phuket irrigation
project said that Phuket’s main sources of raw water in three reservoirs – Bang
Wad,
Bang Niew Dam and Khlong Krata have
dropped to low levels at 36 percent, 9 per cent and 51 percent of their holding
capacity respectively.
The three reservoirs currently store more than six
million cubic metres of water altogether in total. The amount of water in the
two reservoirs is adequate for use for only 80 day and the last one for 210
days. Without any measure put in place, the drought will definitely take its
toll on public and tourism sectors.
Head of the Provincial Waterworks Authoriy’s Phuket
office, Kraisorn Mahamad said demand for water is 120,000 cubic metres per day.
The PWA is looking for additional reserved water for tap water production.
The agency purchases 13,000 cubic metres of tap
water per day from the private sector and raw water from private mines and
acquires more water from natural waterways. Two more weirs have been built at
Bangjo canal.
As a result, he said he was confident that there
will be no shortage of water in the dry season. In the long term, he added that
the two – billion baht project is in the pipeline to produce tap water in
Phang-nga province and supply the water to Phuket.
The project
got the Cabinet’s approval and is scheduled to be completed in the next five
years, he noted. (TNA)
