PUBLISHED : 24 Sep 2023 at 05:00
The Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) will join hands with hotels in Phuket to introduce a campaign to save water in the resort island to reduce water consumption in the hospitality sector.
ONWR secretary-general Surasee Kittimonthon said Phuket is facing water shortage and treatment issues.
As the number of tourists is expected to grow, the increased need for water will grow steadily more acute. Developing canals into water storage areas instead of letting the water flow into the sea is one option to alleviate shortages during droughts.
Those canals should have water gates to keep water, he said.
Also, nine local administrative organisations which do not have wastewater treatment plants should have facilities to eliminate the environmental impact in their absence, Mr Surasee said. Phuket is also looking for options to boost water resources.
The ONWR, he said, proposed saving water use by joining hands with hotels to attach water meters in showers to display real-time water consumption. The project can start with large or international chain hotels, he said.
Phuket can then use the effort to help reduce water consumption as a tourism campaign promoting the idea of sustainable tourism. In addition, every hotel should have a green policy to encourage guests not to change towels every day, he said.
Meanwhile, Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, president of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, urged the government to build another reservoir on the island. The island has three which can store a total of 21 million cubic litres, but the island needs a total of 80 million a year.