Water shortages on Samui islands

Tap water rationing has been in place on Pha-ngan Island since late March, to ensure there is enough water for the next two months for residents, hotels and other tourism-related businesses in the popular southern resort of Thailand.

The rationing is on a rotation basis, with some areas receiving water on certain days while the others get it on the alternate days. Between 3,500m3 and 4,000m3 cubic metres of water are being supplied each day.The tap water shortage is also hitting Samui Island, which is expected to see about 2.4 million tourist arrivals this year.

Some critics, however, wonder whether the temporary joy is worth the waste of such a huge volume of water at the start of the dry season.