CHON BURI: The popular tourist island of Koh Lan, off Pattaya, is facing a water shortage, with residents forced to pay high prices for tap water brought in and sold by private suppliers.
The shortage has been caused by lack of rain and high demand for water as Thai and foreign tourists head to the island for respite from the heatwave.
There are 5,000-8,000 tourist arrivals a day, generating a huge income for the island, about 8 kilometres from the Pattaya shore.
Local resident Kanchanop Sukkhi said on Tuesday that water was frequently in short supply during the dry season, but this year there was insufficient to meet consumption demands.
Private suppliers were capitalising on the shortage.
Normally, they charged 150 baht per tonne. Each truck carried two tonnes of water, or 300 baht per trip, rising to 350-400 baht per trip when demand was high.
However, with the current drought the price had soared to 1,000-2,000 baht per trip, Mr Kanchanop said.
The soaring price of tap water from private suppliers posed a severe financial burden on residents and businesses operating on the island, he said.
A private supplier sells treated water to residents of Koh Lan. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)