Famed Thailand holiday isles suffer water shortages after heatwave
The Hindu
Thai holiday islands facing severe water shortage due to heatwave, impacting tourism and prompting water supply concerns.
The dazzling Thai holiday islands made famous by the Hollywood film "The Beach" are facing a severe water shortage following a blistering heatwave across Asia, a tourism official and locals said Thursday.
The Koh Phi Phi archipelago, off the west coast of southern Thailand, draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to its pristine beaches and turquoise waters each year.
But a deadly heatwave that has sent temperature records tumbling across the region in recent weeks -- as well as a prolonged spell of low rainfall -- has seen reservoirs run low.
"The private company that provides water to the islands may have to stop the supply," Wichupan Phukaoluan Srisanya, president of the Krabi Hotel Association, which represents hotels in the area, told AFP.
Island authorities have discussed shipping in water from the mainland if the dry weather continues, she said but would hold off in the hope of the wet season arriving in May.
"But we want to assure tourists who are planning to visit the islands that we can manage this," Wichupan added.
Residents who asked not to be named told AFP they had suffered fresh water shortages for months, and said some hotels had limited bookings as a result.