Phasakorn Channgam
Pattaya has begun studying a proposal to lay an undersea pipeline to bring
drinking water to Koh Larn.
Mayor
Itthiphol Kunplome talks with reporters about Koh Larn’s drinking water
conundrum.
Using part of its 135 million baht Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism
Administration allocation for 2012, the city commissioned an expensive
research study to assess the construction contacts, purchases, operation
procedures and company search.
Water supply has been a growing problem as the popularity and population of
the resort island grows. The city has an existing contract with the East
Water Co. to run a desalinization plant on the island, but demand has
outstripped supply.
To supplement that, Koh Larn contracts with the Navy to ship water to Na
Baan Pier and residents have collected their own rainwater to keep for use
during dry season.
Desalinated water costs 75 baht per unit and imported water costs 200 baht
per unit, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome said. That compares poorly with mainland
water supplies, which run 14-24 baht per unit.
“If the pipeline from Pattaya is successful, residents will not have to deal
with high costs anymore and improve their economic conditions,” the mayor
said.
