Across Thailand, people are getting ready to take to the streets for a giant water fight to mark the new year. Roads will be lined with vendors selling water pistols, businesses will put out buckets of icy water for refills and no passersby is safe.
What began as a tradition of the Songkran festival to sprinkle water on the hands of elders, in a symbol of cleansing and reverence to mark the new year, has evolved into huge water fights that draw tourists from across the world.
But on the tourist resort island of Samui, the water fights and celebrations bely a long running problem: the island is parched.
Residents say taps can stop running for days, causing disruption to businesses and daily life.
“The water hasn’t run for two and a half days now,” says Wachirawut Kulaphetkamthorn, who owns a barber shop in Lamai, Samui and has been unable to use his shower. “Last year, the water came every other day, but this week, it hasn’t run for 2-3 days in a row.”
“The restaurant nearby could not open the shop because there was no water.”
Wachirawut has resorted to buying five tanks of water. “I don’t have any backup plan. I think I just need to buy more water when it’s gone. I can’t do anything. I can only complain on Facebook,” he says.
One local restaurant owner says he fills his tanks when the water is back on and this can usually see him through the two or three days when the taps dry up. But if the shortages last longer, he is forced to use expensive drinking water.
“The vendor next to my shop, when they don’t have water, they need to change to takeaway orders instead because there’s no water to clean the plates,” says Nat, who asked to give just his nickname.
Big hotels are able to pay for private water supplies, which means tourists are unlikely to be affected and water fights will go ahead, according to Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, the president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui. But this all adds an extra financial burden to the sector as it recovers from Covid.
Water on the island is derived from wetland areas, as well as an undersea pipeline that supplies 21,000 cubic metres of water a day, well short of the between 31,000 to 33,000 cubic metres of water needed a day, says Ratchaporn.
Poor planning has meant that infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the number of people migrating to work on the island, or the rapid development of luxury resorts, golf courses and spas that consume large volumes of water.
Ratchaporn says there are hopes a reverse osmosis system, and an additional pipe supplying water from Surat Thani will ease the problem, though, for now, the dry weather is an added problem.
Thailand is currently experiencing extreme heat due to the El Niño phenomenon, which is associated with hotter, drier conditions across the region. The Thai public health ministry has warned of the risk of heatstroke during the Songkran period, as temperatures have reached record levels in some areas.
Despite the risks, the government hopes this year’s Songkran festival, which marks the Thai new year, will give a much-needed boost to the tourism sector.
This year’s celebrations have been extended from the usual three days to three weeks, after the festival was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage event by Unesco.
In Samui, businesses are also extending the celebrations to encourage tourists to stay longer, says Ratchaporn, offering events including orchestral concerts and foam parties – which use less water than a traditional water fight.
“It is high season and [Songkran] is also one of the cultural attractions for the period,” says Ratchaporn.
He says businesses and authorities will make sure people have a chance to splash in water – even if this brings added costs.
“Even if we don’t have water. It’s like … Christmas, no matter if you don’t have anything you will at least try to provide your family with a cookie and warm milk.”
