However, officials believe that 70 per cent of residents in the area will remain unaffected by water shortages and will survive until the rainy season.
Phuket City Deputy Mayor Thaworn Jiraphatsophon told The Phuket News yesterday (Mar 30) that the majority of people supplied by Phuket Municipality will suffer no water shortages and will get through the dry period.
The amount of water Phuket City supplies to its 20,000 consumers is about 30,000 cubic metres per day, he added.
Deputy Mayor Thaworn explained; “Some areas will now suffer low water pressure or have no water at all. Areas include Moo Baan Chao Fa and around Suan Luang and this is because the reservoir at Suan Luang is ‘nearly’ dried up.
"Other areas affected due to the lack of water in the reservoir are Bangkok, Phoonphol and Sakdidet roads, which often have no water at all,” he said.
“Normally Phuket City Municipality buys additional water from Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) to supply Sakdidet Rd, however, at this time of year, PWA wants to reserve as much of its water as possible, so Sakdidet is one area facing problems,” he added.
Deputy Mayor Thaworn also said that another area that suffers water shortages is Khao Rang Mae Luan Rd.
“We are currently trying to solve the problem in this area by using water supplied from the Phuket City area. But we are not sure if the water supply from the city will have enough pressure to go up the hill. If the pressure is too weak then we will probably supply water by fire trucks,” he said.
“Areas outside of municipality territory such as Moo Baan Chao Fa are getting help from Wichit Municipality and we are also helping to bring in water to the area.”
Deputy Mayor Thaworn explained that Phuket City Municipality has two reservoirs – Sam Kong and Suan Luang – but that other reservoirs in the area belong to private companies, including Anuphas.
“The largest reservoir we have on the island is Bangwad Dam in Kathu which we rely on to bring water to residents in our area. The quantity of water at Bangwad, combined with water at Samkong, I think will last us until June,” he said.
“This area should not have any problems, but the area that worries me are the ones that depend on water from Suan Luang,” he added.
Phuket City Municipality issued a warning to residents in Phuket Town on Tuesday (Mar 29) about the water shortage situation in certain areas.
Residents have been advised to store water for future use.
The water in the reservoir is drying out because the island has seen no rainfall, and as a result, Phuket City Municipality is releasing less water to the public.
The warning took effect yesterday (Mar 30) and will last until the water supply at Suan Luang returns to normal.
The following areas will have weak water pressure or no water at all from 10am-10pm yesterday onwards:
- Maeluan Rd
- Pathiphat Rd (from Krabi junction to Maeluan Rd)
- Wichitsongkhram Rd (only municipality territory)
- Phattana Rd (from Ranong to Wirat Hongyok)
And same situation for these area from 10pm-10am:
- Pathiphat Rd (Krabi Rd to Chao Fa Yeeteng intersection)
- Bangkok Rd
- Soi Phuthon
- Chao Fa Rd ( Municipality territory)
- Phoonphol Rd
- Sakdidet Rd
- Tha Kreng Rd
- Moo Baan Cha Fa
Phuket City Municipality apologises for any inconvenience and asks residents to use water wisely.
For more information please contact Phuket City Municipality public water supply division at 076-211130-199.