Water is a good example. When the weather goes dry and tens of thousands of tourists descend on the island, expecting a shower, a bath, a turn in the Jacuzzi, a swim in a nice clean pool, huge amounts of water are needed.
But Phuket has no natural rivers and no natural lakes. There are a couple of reservoirs and many tin mines – with widely differing qualities of water – and thousands of private wells.
But that’s nowhere near enough, and as the dry weather stretches on and on, something close to panic sets in as the authorities contemplate a serious drought. Something Must Be Done, all agree, but just what is never decided.
Then, just as things begin to look truly critical, the rain arrives and everyone sighs with relief and the problem is totally, utterly forgotten. Until the next dry season.
The problem with filthy klongs is similar, but applies the other way round. In the dry season there’s almost nothing flowing down the klongs, so there is no discernible effect on the environment.
But when the rain begins to arrive toward the end of the high and dry season, the fresh flows of water pick up the crud that has accumulated over the preceding months and carries it down the klong, across the beach and into the sea.
The Policy of Knee Jerk kicks in and everyone decides Something Must Be Done. They may even agree on what must be done. But by the time that process has been gone through, the rain has abated, the dry season has arrived again, and everyone agrees that no one needs to worry about it any more.
The trouble is, they do have to worry about it. They need to go on worrying and – most important – take action.
Laws to force people and businesses to treat water as the precious and increasingly rare commodity it is, and to collect rainwater (it’s delivered to you free for six months!) need to be passed and enforced.
Polluters of klongs are breaking the law. They should be fined as heavily as the law allows and, if they continue to pollute, they should be closed down.
The alternative is increasing deterioration of Phuket’s environment. Of course, if we manage to drive all the tourists away, then there will be plenty of water for those who remain and the polluting restaurants and hotels, with no guests, will stop polluting. Job done.