“I acknowledge the increasing number of tourists. Currently, only Bang Wad Reservoir [in Kathu] is a slight concern, while Bang Neow Dum [in Srisoonthorn] and Klong Kata reservoir [in Chalong] have sufficient water,” Mr Krirksak told The Phuket News this week.
Mr Krirksak remains adamant that there is adequate water for the coming dry spell despite water levels at the three main reservoirs already falling.
Bang Wad Reservoir, the island’s main reservoir, is 59% full, with 6 million cubic metres of water, he said. The reservoir has a capacity of 10.2mn cubic metres.
Bang Neow Dum Reservoir, which serves Cherng Talay and the surrounding area, is 68% full, with 5.3mn cubic metres of water (capacity 7.8mn cubic metres), and Klong Kata is 70% full, with 2.91mn cubic metres of water (capacity 4.14mn cubic metres), Mr Krirksak added.
At the same stage last year, Bang Neow was 71% full and Klong Kata was 58% full, but Bang Wad was 64% full.
RISING TIDE
Phuket recorded 8.65 million passenger arrivals in 2024, marking a 23% increase from 2023 and just 5% below the 2019 peak, Bill Barnett noted in C9 Hotelworks’ latest release, ‘Phuket Hotel and Tourism Market Review 2025’.
Passenger arrivals for last year reached 8.65mn, reflecting a 23% increase compared to 2023 and just 5% below the 2019 benchmark of 9.07mn arrivals.
China, historically Phuket’s largest international source market, recorded 998,228 visitors in 2024, up from 566,961 (+76%) in 2023, but still trailing the pre-pandemic peak of 3.12mn.
The Thai government’s introduction of visa-free entry in late 2023 has been instrumental in driving the recovery, Mr Barnett added. The policy also extended to travelers from Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia, further diversifying source markets.
Russia led international arrivals with 1,069,597 visitors in 2024, representing a 26% year-on-year increase, while India recorded a 58% rise, contributing 481,478 visitors. Collectively, Russia, India and China accounted for 45% of Phuket’s total international arrivals, Mr Barnett said.
The trend is continuing, with officials hoping for Phuket to attract even more visitors in 2025. As of Monday (Feb 10) Phuket had already welcomed 128,353 international arrivals, up from 112,818 in 2024 (+13.77%), since the start of 2025.
BOOM TOWN DRAIN
“As Bang Wad Reservoir is slightly lower [compared with last year], we are coordinating with the Provincial Waterworks Authority Phuket to bring water from the mines supply to Bang Wad, but overall, it is sufficient. There is no problem,” Mr Krirksak said.
However, the increasing population in the Cherng Talay area is calling for extra attention, Mr Krirksak noted.
Manoch Panchalad, Chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organisation (OrBorTor), this week confirmed to The Phuket News that the resident population in Cherng Talay, not including tourists, had jumped from 11,919 in 2023 to 19,062 in 2024, a rise of 60% in 12 months.
Similarly, the number of households grew from 12,671 to 18,612, an increase of 5,941 households, or about 47%, Mr Manoch said.
“This rapid growth puts increased pressure on local residents, not only with traffic issues, but also water supply,” Mr Manoch said.
Regardless, Mr Krirksak of the RID Phuket branch remained confident that there will be no water-supply shortages, although there is already less water in Bang Neow Dum than at the same time last year.
“Phuket has enough water to serve the people,” Mr Krirksak said.
LONG TERM
Mr Krirksak highlighted that he was called on to explain to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra what projects were underway to help avoid dire water shortages like those that plagued Phuket in 2018 and 2019, when the Army was called in to supply entire neighbourhoods, some of which had residents carrying water back to their homes from communal tanks for months.
“We are in the process of drafting a budget proposal to dredge Bang Wad Reservoir and increase its capacity by approximately 100,000 cubic metres. We are currently at the stage of requesting the budget,” Mr Krirksak said.
“Another proposed project is ‘Kaem Ling Khok Tanode,’ which may be a medium-term one, which is currently in the design stage. The work should start around 2027,” he added.
“It will help arrange for water storage facilities at various points to act as reservoirs during the rainy season. They will temporarily store rainwater so that it can be sent to Bang Neow Dum,” Mr Krirsak said.
However, the decades-in-coming water-supply pipeline from the Ratchaprapha Dam in Surat Thani for the time being still remains a pipe dream.
“Our long-term plan is to bring water from the Ratchaprapha Dam to the Lum Ru Yai Reservoir in Phang Nga and then send water from there to Phuket,” Mr Krirskak said.
“This is still in the planning stage, but it is a long-term plan that we have proposed to do,” he added.