B15.9mn budget approved to tackle some of Phuket’s water woes

PHUKET: A 15.9-million-baht budget has been approved to manage and develop Phuket’s water-resources in order to increase storage capacity and improve a canal that has become a health hazard.

“We have approved a 4mn-baht project to dredge about a kilometer of Bang Yai Canal in Phuket Town to improve the water flow and drainage,” Natural Resources and Environment Minister General Dapong Ratanasuwan said on Saturday.

The stench of Bang Yai Canal has been a serious concern in recent years, and has wreaked havoc in areas of Phuket Town, making some residents physical ill (story here).

“About 7.6mn baht will be allocated to Baan Lipon in the Srisoonthon area, where there are plans to develop the water-storage capabilities of an old tin mine,” Mr Dapong said. “This will alleviate serious water shortages in the area during the dry season.”

The final 4.3mn baht of the budget will be used to improve access to fresh water resources at Phuket Panyanukul School in Pa Khlok.

The announcement marked the National Day of Rivers and Canals Conservation and Development, an event that has been celebrated annually on September 20, since 2001.

— Athip Karndee