FOR THE EXPAT IN ALL OF US! ISSUE 407 9th December 2016
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P A N AMA BAR
Good Times Every Night A DJ To Save Your Life
DUSTBOWL HUA HIN HEADING FOR EARLY DROUGHT THIS YEAR
•A •topic that has regularly cropped up on our front page over the years has been the issue of the water HUA HIN
supply, however it is rare that we have felt the need to address this issue so early in the dry season, which really has only just begun. There have already been signs that the authorities are struggling to supply water to some areas, with parts of Borfai not receiving any city water in the last two weeks. The dams and reservoirs across Thailand are mixed as regards how full they are, but the local supplies to Hua Hin are at very low levels for this time of year. The last measurement publically available for the Pranburi reservoir, which has traditionally been the main source for Hua Hin, read in October that it was only at 19% of capacity, and while there has been rain since then, it will not have been enough for the long dry months ahead. By comparison last year at the same time the measurement was 36%, and in 2014 it was at 57%; by the date of today’s issue the readings were 39% and 74% respectively, but tellingly no figures are currently available. We are warning everybody now that the next few months are going to see more people than ever, and earlier than ever, not having a city water supply, and so it is everybody’s responsibility to conserve water and reduce their usage now to try and stave this situation off as long as possible. Inevitably though, the city will favour, as usual, the big hotels, businesses and tourist attractions with the water supply, at the expense of ordinary residents, and be warned that the bills soon start to add up when ordering water from private tankers at between 100 and 150 baht per 1000 litres, that is, of course, assuming that they can get water.