PHUKET: Thanks a million, Phuket! The first of one million bottles of water trundled off to Bangkok from Phuket today.

And the people of Phuket aim to inundate Bangkok with water that people can drink.

Thanks a million, Phuket! The two million baht cost of sending the water to Phuket has been met by donations to Phuket's six Rotary branches, and to other Rotary branches in Malaysia.

Thanks a million, Phuket! The first large truck laden with 40,000 bottles especially branded ''Phuket Rotary'' left the Seahorse Water Factory in Chalong, southern Phuket, today.

Truckload after truckload will be following between now and the middle of December.

Phuket people have long memories, and the people of Bangkok were extremely generous after the 2004 tsunami swept Phuket and the Andaman region.

While the death toll from the floods is thankfully much smaller than the toll during the tsunami - Thailand's worst natural disaster, when 5400 perished - the number of people affected and the economic damage from the floods is much, much greater.

Phuket people, drinking water imported from Malaysia, are happy to help where they can.

Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha and Phuket Rotary representatives from all over the island saw the first load of Phuket bottled water hit the road today.