Water Quality in Pattaya

[drlove]

There is a huge water crisis in Pattaya now because of lack of rain combined with lack of infrastructure to supply water during droughts. A group of Hong Kong reporters stayed in a hotel in town and found a lot of junk in their water.

 

A few months ago I posted a question in the Health Forum about the water quality and possible risk of problems like diarrhea after drinking the ionized water in the one-liter bottles. I had a rather long bout, then went to a better quality drinking water and it cleared up. Went back to buying the 6 packs of 1 liter bottles a week later and had no further problems.

 

How can you test the water you are drinking, I wonder?? The water we get at my building is being delivered these days, but I don't drink that anyway. I do use it to brush my teeth though.

 

Here's the HK article from the Pattaya Mail newspaper:

http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd1

 

City responds to ?dirty water? claim in Hong Kong magazine

 

Ariyawat Nuamsawat

 

Following claims in a Hong Kong magazine that Pattaya uses substandard water supplies, specifically in the hotel in which the publication?s reporters were staying, Pattaya Mail spoke with Thanet Supornsaharungsi, Pattaya Business and Tourism Association president.

 

Thanet Supornsaharungsi, Pattaya Business and Tourism Association president talks about the damaging article from a Hong Kong magazine.

 

Thanet told the Pattaya Mail, ?The PBTA is aware of the article, which was given to us by the hotel in question. In conjunction with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Pattaya City, we have inspected the hotel and found that in reality a series of incidents led to the misunderstanding.

 

?The hotel?s reserve water supply was almost exhausted and had to continue working for four to five hours before supplies could be replenished. Once this was done the sediment in the bottom of the tank mixed with the water being pumped in.?

 

Thanet went on to say that after incident came to light, city officials sent inspectors to the hotel and found that the water supply was good and not as the news story had indicated.

 

?We have interviewed hotel guests and they understand that Pattaya is facing a severe water shortage,? said Thanet.

 

Concerning the impact on tourism in the city, Thanet said that local businesses have urged the government and relevant departments such as the Department of Irrigation, Department of Water Resources and East Water Plc to take action.

 

?They have accepted the urgency of the problem but in the short term, hotels must help themselves,? he explained. ?In the long term, the government has set plans into motion but I?m not sure it will solve the problem. Those departments responsible have, in the past, pointed fingers at everyone but themselves.

 

?If the government wants to try and solve the problem in earnest then it would need to be overseen by the prime minister or deputy prime minister to ensure that all departments work together properly.?

 

Pattaya Mail also spoke to Wuttisak Rermkijakarn, deputy mayor in charge of the public health, hygiene and environment department.

 

Wuttisak said the city was aware of the story and the incident, and is in the process of following up.

 

?The city has set standards on the quality of water that must be used but the number of water trucks taking up the business are increasing daily during this period. We have only been able to be effective at a certain level because of the increase in operators delivering water.

 

?As for the city?s stance on hotels, we are more than happy to investigate any complaints over the use of substandard water supplies and solve the problem as it does affect Pattaya?s tourism industry and the entire economy.?

[Torneyboy]

Hope they get this sorted out before to long

[Guest]

As a Pattaya resident, and due to the dried resevours (sp?), water is trucked to my condo building just as it is to every other condo, hotel and home that has water storage tanks. I use that water for cooking, bathing and brushing teeth. I've 18.9 liter (5-gal) bottles of water delivered for drinking.

I've yet to hear of neighbors, friends or other locals having problems due to the trucked-in water. Maybe drlove's system is more sensitive or possibly that bottled 'ionized' water he bought was poorly filtered. YMMV

[ALHOLK]

Dream on mate. The first time I encountered this problem was in 1991.

[vegasdave49]

I dont get it. Why on earth would you ever brush you teeth with tap water. Even a small amount of bacteria can easily be ingested, potentialy causing problems. Rule number one for me in nothing but well established bottled water touchs my lips. This includes keeping my mouth closed while in the shower. This is basic stuff guys.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

"Why on earth would you ever brush you teeth with tap water."

 

To build up a resistance to it.

I have been using tap water for brushing, as have pretty much all others I know, for as long as I have been living here and have never had a problem.

 

Sanuk!

[Mekong]

And I suppose you look for the ISO 9001 accreditations for the Nam Khang in your drinks also!

[limbo]

Also brush my teeth with tab water, no probs.

[pe7e]

I suppose it depends how long you are there for, someone on a hard earned 2 week holiday would do well to avoid picking up a bacteria that could ruin it, but a long term resident has a different agenda and needs to build a resistance to the bacteria encountered locally. No one advocates drinking the tap water since it is obviously contaminated, so why risk it to save a couple of baht? I have seen water in a Pattaya hotel that I would't even wash with.

[Guest lazyphil]

I use tap water in LOS for teeth, even swalowed some by accident, no problems!