PIPE DREAM
PHANG NGA WATER SUPPLY ORDERED TO BE ONLINE BY 2027
The water supply pipeline from Phang Nga is to be completed within three years, Chakkraphong Saengmanee, Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, told the Phuket Irrigation Office last week.
Coinciding with the visit to Phuket by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Aug 8, Minister Chakkraphong was in Phuket to attend a meeting at the Phuket Irrigation Office, joined by Surasee Kittimonthon, SecretaryGeneral of Thailand’s Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR).
At the meeting, Mr Chakkraphong received updates on key water issues, including progress on the water management development plan in Phuket, construction plans of the Provincial Waterworks Authority’s Phuket branch, and recent flood relief efforts. He later visited the Bang Wad Reservoir in Kathu to further assess water management efforts.
In his address, Minister Chakkraphong highlighted the importance of effective water resource management in Phuket, which he noted was a province known for its world-class tourist attractions that significantly contribute to Thailand’s economy.
He instructed the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) and other relevant agencies to take proactive measures to resolve flooding, drought and wastewater challenges, thereby enhancing the quality of life for locals and driving economic growth in Thailand, said an official report of the meeting.
The Minister also stressed the importance of completing the Provincial Waterworks Authority’s Phang Nga - Phuket water-supply expansion project by 2027.
The long-awaited pipeline was given only a passing mention at a meeting in November last year held to
discuss strategies for avoiding water shortages that plagued the island as recently as 2019.
The project has been tabled for nearly 10 years, and in 2020 was confirmed to be stalled by bureaucratic hurdles, despite already being approved by Cabinet.
Apparently that has changed, with the current government promoting that the pipeline is finally to be completed.
The expansion project for the Phang Nga - Phuket branch aims to build a water production system with a capacity of 120,000 cubic metres per day, serving 35,000 new water users in target areas such as...
Chakkraphong Saengmanee, Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, speaks at Bang Wad reservoir on Aug 8. Photo: PR Phuket