Koh Samui has begun rationing its water supply as a persistent drought drains reservoirs and slashes drinking water production to roughly 40 percent of normal capacity, leaving the Thai island with a daily shortfall of about 18,000 cubic metres. Authorities are now rotating deliveries across different districts after reservoirs were largely depleted.
The crisis strikes during peak season, when up to 500,000 visitors and migrant workers join the island's 70,000 residents. An underwater pipeline currently delivers around 16,000 cubic metres daily against demand of roughly 34,000 cubic metres. The Ministry of Interior of Thailand ordered emergency measures, including increased pumping through the subsea pipeline and repairs to a damaged desalination plant.
The island, which expects more than four million visitors this year, faced severe water crises in 2023 and 2024 when some areas went days with little or no tap water.