PHUKET: Israel's Consul in Thailand, Eli Gil, visited Phuket last week and offered to help with the island's water problem.
What puzzled the consul is what puzzles many people about Phuket.
''How come you have so much rain on Phuket and you still have a problem with your water supply?'' the consul asked Vice Governor Dr Sommai Preechasin when the two met at Provincial Hall in Phuket City.
Then the consul answered his own question: ''There's plenty of water. It should be possible to store enough to meet all of your needs on Phuket, all year round.''
Israel, of course, dry and dusty at times, would love to have Phuket's monsoon downpours.
And the consul believes that with a little help, Phuket's chronic feast or famine, flood or drought mentality could be swiflty converted to year-round running taps.
Coincidentally, a meeting of Phuket water authorities and local council administrations a few days earlier made the point that next high, dry season is likely to leave Phuket with insufficient water to meet demand.
This is despite the massive amounts of water that were dumped on Phuket by one of the longest, most persistent monsoon storm seasons anyone could remember.
Canals were filled to overflowing . . . and most of that pure, clear rainwater flowed straight to the sea. Come February, though, and resorts will be importing water and paying a premium price for tanker loads.
Crazy? Yes.
The meeting of officials is even considering a pipeline coming from the mainland to boost supplies. What the consul could have told them with a bit more time is that the rain that falls on Phuket can be contained will less expense.
Dry parts of the world know how to trap water effectively and ensure a regular supply. There are even some resorts on Phuket where good examples have been set.
And why, for example, are rainwater tanks or lagoons not an essential part of every new property development on Phuket? We are sure that is a question the consul would have asked if the conversation had been specifically about water.
As it was, Dr Sommai also admitted Phuket had a garbage disposal problem. We can't speak for Israel, but most places have a ''Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'' program in place.
Water desalination plants and Incinerators are high-tech, high cost ways of addressing the issues of water supply and garbage oversupply, but the real answers are always simpler and more effective.
We hope when consul Eli Gil sends his advice about water, he adds something about garbage as well.
The meeting heard that Thailand had 45,000 visitors from Israel last year, that numbers are rising at 10 percent a year, and that most of them spend some time on Phuket.
What puzzled the consul is what puzzles many people about Phuket.
''How come you have so much rain on Phuket and you still have a problem with your water supply?'' the consul asked Vice Governor Dr Sommai Preechasin when the two met at Provincial Hall in Phuket City.
Then the consul answered his own question: ''There's plenty of water. It should be possible to store enough to meet all of your needs on Phuket, all year round.''
Israel, of course, dry and dusty at times, would love to have Phuket's monsoon downpours.
And the consul believes that with a little help, Phuket's chronic feast or famine, flood or drought mentality could be swiflty converted to year-round running taps.
Coincidentally, a meeting of Phuket water authorities and local council administrations a few days earlier made the point that next high, dry season is likely to leave Phuket with insufficient water to meet demand.
This is despite the massive amounts of water that were dumped on Phuket by one of the longest, most persistent monsoon storm seasons anyone could remember.
Canals were filled to overflowing . . . and most of that pure, clear rainwater flowed straight to the sea. Come February, though, and resorts will be importing water and paying a premium price for tanker loads.
Crazy? Yes.
The meeting of officials is even considering a pipeline coming from the mainland to boost supplies. What the consul could have told them with a bit more time is that the rain that falls on Phuket can be contained will less expense.
Dry parts of the world know how to trap water effectively and ensure a regular supply. There are even some resorts on Phuket where good examples have been set.
And why, for example, are rainwater tanks or lagoons not an essential part of every new property development on Phuket? We are sure that is a question the consul would have asked if the conversation had been specifically about water.
As it was, Dr Sommai also admitted Phuket had a garbage disposal problem. We can't speak for Israel, but most places have a ''Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'' program in place.
Water desalination plants and Incinerators are high-tech, high cost ways of addressing the issues of water supply and garbage oversupply, but the real answers are always simpler and more effective.
We hope when consul Eli Gil sends his advice about water, he adds something about garbage as well.
The meeting heard that Thailand had 45,000 visitors from Israel last year, that numbers are rising at 10 percent a year, and that most of them spend some time on Phuket.
We installed a rainwater collection system in our guesthouse years ago and it paid it self in two years.
The system can supply the house in rainy periods, but to collect and store water for longer periods require much larger capacity than can be established in a city house.
To create long time storage huge concrete tanks or artificial lakes is needed, but it can be done if somebody want to pay.
Posted by Niku on June 25, 2012 14:45
Editor Comment:
Great. Every new property development should have its own water supply - tanks, lagoon or well.