Phuket Vice Governor Wongsakorn Nunchukan earlier this week led an inspection of the small lakes, located in Srisoonthorn and Koh Kaew.
Joining Vice Governor Wongsakorn were Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) Chief Graisorn Mahamad, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket office Chief Prapan Kanprasang, and other officials.
Water from the lake in Srisoonthorn will be pumped to the water-production facility in Bangjo, while PWA workers are now installing pipes to draw water from a lake owned by Boat Pattana Co Ltd, explained V/Gov Wongsakorn.
Boat Pattana Co Ltd operates Phuket Boat Lagoon.
“We also went to Wanit lake in Koh Kaew to talk with its owner, in order to use the water. The owner responded very well and agreed to let the government use the water to help people,” V/Gov Wongsakorn added.
“I would like to thank the pond owner for good cooperation with the government,” he said.
Uthai Saejew, head of the PWA’s Water Supply Division, said that the water from the three lakes may help water supply to last “possibly until May, when the rains will start to refill the main reservoirs”.
According to PWA records, as of Tuesday (Mar 24) Bang Wad reservoir, the island’s main water source, contained just 850,000 cubic metres of water – or 8.3% of its full capacity.
At current usage rates, that was enough water to last just 17 days, the PWA noted.
Bang Neow Dam reservoir in Srisoonthorn currently contains some 418,000m3 of water, or 5.8% of the reservoir’s capacity.
However, as there was so little water left in the Bang Neow Dam reservoir, officials earlier this year marked whatever water the reservoir contained “for emergency only” as what water it did contain was deemed too murky and unfit for household use.
It has not yet been clarified whether circumstances are currently dire enough for officials to start drawing water from the reservoir.
Meanwhile, Khlong Katha reservoir contains 818,000m3 of water, or 18.6% of the reservoir’s capacity, which the PWA rates as enough to last 47 days.