Koh Samui, Thailand’s paradise is dry

Heaven is dry. One of Thailand’s most famous and iconic islands, Koh Samuithe destination of thousands of tourists every year, is experiencing a condition of extreme drought such that according to the local authorities there would be just 30 days of fresh and drinking water available for the residents.

The pressure on island water supplies it is double: on the one hand a prolonged period of drought and high temperatures, linked to the effects of the climate crisis, on the other the return of mass tourism are putting the available reserves in crisis. Basically, there is no water for everyone.

The Koh Samui authorities have consequently launched an appeal: a bit like in Italy in recent summers, where restrictions were placed on the use of water to water gardens, wash cars or fill swimming pools, here too a call has been issued to a “thrifty and responsible” use of water to prevent the island from becoming a “disaster area”.

Sutham Samthong, deputy mayor of Koh Samui, recalling the lack of rain in recent months, urged everyone to pay attention to the call, from residents to tourists who flock to the paradisiacal beaches of the place. Samthong explained that the management envisaged supplies from other areas and basins with a two-month forecast plan: subsequently the rain was expected, but it totally missed.

Among the contributing causes of the lack of water could be i changes related to global warming and, it is feared for this part of Asia populated by luxury resorts and hundreds of tourist facilities, the El Niño meteorological phenomenon could also make itself felt in the very near future, destined to aggravate the drought conditions.

The residents of the island say that in the last three months the taps supplied water on several occasions “only two three times a week”. Sometimes she has been absent for over seven days. The absence of water, logically, is also impacting the tourismsource of livelihood for many residents. For example, some rooms for rent cannot guarantee water for travelers to shower.

During the pandemic tourism on the Thai island had dropped drastically, with just 5,000 rooms available throughout Koh Samui, but now it has quickly returned to pre-Covid levels, with almost 25,000 rooms available. Most of these structures are located in luxury resorts and hotels with swimming pools, spas and services that consume a large amount of water and some local associations denounce the fact that there has been a total lack of planning on the real water present and that necessary to maintain the accommodation facilities.

Second Kannapa Pongponrat Chieochan from Thammasat University “Samui has so many spas and pool villas… Based on my research we found that it is the big companies, the big hotels, the 4 or 5 star resorts, the luxury ones, where there is a lot water consumption and the communities around that type of property suffer from insufficient water because it’s all pumped into the resort,” he explained.

There droughts consequently widened inequalities: some of the big hotels have paid for truckloads of water supplies to make sure their customers don’t miss anything, while the local population and small suppliers have run out of water. According to estimates, Koh Samui would need about 30,000 cubic meters of water a day: Most, nearly 24,000, arrive via an underground facility from Surat Thani on the mainland, with the rest being tank stocks.

Soon, in an attempt to remedy the paradise devoid of water resources, they will pump more water, but it may not be enough to satisfy everyone, even if in case of critical situations, there is the possibility of continuing to supply the island and its islands every other day. white beaches with water coming from the mainland. An extreme system that may not last long anyway, which is why the experts, in an attempt to guarantee a future for the economy of Koh Samui, are immediately calling for “more planning and adaptation”.