“Please save water as much as you can,” PWA Branch Manager Graisorn Mahamad told The Phuket News today (Apr 4).
“I am very concerned about the situation right now. The water levels at all three main water reservoirs continues to fall while we still have not had enough rain.”
Mr Graisorn reported that the Bang Wad reservoir in Kathu – the island’s main water reserve – now contains just 1.26 million cubic meters of its 10mn-plus m3 capacity.
“The Bang Neow Dum reservoir contains about 1.1mn m3 of water, and the Khlong Kratha reservoir in Chalong currently contains about 1.04mn m3 of water,” he added.
Mr Graisorn noted that the levels recorded were estimates of the amount of usable water still left in the reservoirs, and does not included the estimated volume of murky water near the bottom of the lakes.
“These levels are the lowest ever recorded,” Mr Graisorn confirmed.
PWA officers on Saturday (Mar 30) were forced to install new pipes to access the last of the remaining water left in the Bang Neow Dum reservoir in Srisoonthorn, Mr Graisorn explained.
“We had to do this because the areas where we have installed the permanent pipes have run dry,” he said.
“We have to keep doing this – and moving the pipes – to make sure we can continue to supply water for the next day,” he added.
The PWA has secured an agreement from the owners of two privately owned freshwater sources to use to supplement mains water supply, Mr Graisorn added.
“The owners of two water sources in Kathu have agreed for the PWA to use their lakes to supply water to residents,” he said.
“However, we cannot use these yet as we are still laying pipes to connect them to the mains system. There are difficulties as the pipes cross private land, but we will finish this as fast as possible,” he added.
Mr Graisorn also noted that he was not authorised to declare Phuket officially suffering a drought, a technical definition that empowers disaster officials to provide whatever assistance they can.
The declaration of a disaster such as a drought also empowers the Governor to use the provincial disaster relief budget to render assistance.
“I do not have the authority to declare Phuket as facing a drought crisis. Only the Phuket Governor has the power to do that,” he said.
“All I can do is urge people to save as much water as they can, and please remember that water may not flow freely as there might be less pressure in the pipes because there is not much water,” he said.
“Also, any people in Rassada needing urgent water supply can call the PWA on 076-319173 or 082-7901634,” Mr Graisorn added.
See also:
• Free emergency water now deployed across Phuket (click here.)
• Patong starts deploying free emergency water for residents (click here.)
• Rawai Municipality starts providing free emergency water (click here.)
• Phuket Governor ‘urges’ action to save water ‘in case of drought’ (click here.)