A map was projected
during the meeting, showing the 3 possible plans for a water pipeline
from mainland Pattaya to Koh Larn.
Urasin Khantaraphan & Surasak Huasoon
Two-thirds of Koh Larn residents oppose plans to lay an undersea
pipeline to bring drinking water to the island even though they
overwhelmingly believe solving water-scarcity problems would benefit
them, a new survey showed.
Consultants from Kasetsart University’s Energy and Environmental
Engineering Center hired by Pattaya to do the feasibility study for the
project said Sept. 16 that only 34.6% of respondents approve of any of
three options being considered to solve long-running water-shortage
problems.
Of the remaining 65.4%, people either opposed the project, were unsure
or - in the case of 31% of those not in agreement with the idea - had
“no comment.”
The survey results deal a perplexing setback to Pattaya city officials
who seemingly assumed that island residents would welcome any project
solving the water scarcity problem. Fifty-three percent of mainland
Pattaya residents asked the same questions approved of the plan.
The first of three options being considered by the city would see a
pipeline run from the Banglamung water-treatment plant to the island
over a distance of approximately 24.7 km. It would include installation
of main water meter for Koh Larn’s supply. The price tag for the project
is 495.1 million baht.
The project calls for pipe measuring 63 cm in diameter and faces no real
obstacles until the final 2.7 km, where the undersea pipeline would run
into a coral reef. That will require an environmental impact study
lasting six months, at least.
Less-expensive options revealed in earlier hearings include a pipeline,
using 50 cm pipe, from the Phothisamphan area to Koh Larn for 13.7 km at
a cost of 288.2 million baht; and another from the Thappraya area to Koh
Larn, again using 50 cm pipe, over 13 km for 227.7 million baht. That
also includes construction of a storage tank on the coast.
The Koh Larn survey showed that 69.2 percent of residents were aware of
the scarcity issue and 73.1 percent agreed that fixing the problem would
have a positive impact on the island.
However, half of the respondents expressed concerns about the pipeline
project’s impact on the environment, the cost, the amount of time needed
to complete and whether it would provide enough water.
While the majority of mainlanders want to see the pipeline built, about
half of them also expressed reservations about the environmental impact
of dredging with half of respondents worrying about the mainland’s water
supply once water is pumped to the island.
Water supply has been a growing problem as the popularity and population
of the resort island grows. The city has an existing contract with the
East Water Co. to run a desalinization plant on the island, but demand
has outstripped supply, which currently stands at only 300 cu meters a
day.
To supplement that, Koh Larn contracts with the Navy to ship water to Na
Baan Pier and residents have collected their own rainwater to keep for
use during dry season.
Koh Larn is home to 489 households and now attracts about 2 million
visitors a year.
