With the dry season setting in again, Pattaya’s business leaders have resumed worrying about the city’s water supply.
The Pattaya Business & Tourism Association met with officials from the Royal Irrigation Department, East Water Resources Management and Development Plc, and the Provincial Waterworks Authority Dec. 9 at the Grand Sole Hotel to discuss current water levels and projections for the coming months.
PWA manager Sutat Noochpan said Pattaya draws water from five main reservoirs: Mabprachan, Sak Nok, Huay Kunjit, Huay Saphan, and Nong Klang Dong, which in total have 39.9 million cu. meters of capacity. Current total capacity, however, stands at 30.9 million cu. meters.
He said that level of water should serve the city for the next year.
PWA manager Sutat Noochpan says the current total capacity of 30.9 million cu. meters should be enough to serve the city for the next year.
However, Pattaya’s use is skyrocketing, with nearly twice as much being consumed as is currently stored. Hence the PWA must find additional sources of water, such as buying supplies from East Water, which diverts it from Rayong Province, or from Sattahip District’s waterworks authority.
Sutat noted the authority has signed an agreement with the Royal Irrigation Department to lay 90-centimeter-wide water pipes to bring raw water from the Nong Plalai Reservoir.
That new source could eliminate worries about shortages, he said.
The project has been expedited and could come online early next year.
