Facing drought, tap water will be supplied on a zonal rotation basis on Koh Samui for seven days from 3 August to manage the chronic shortage.
On 28 July 2026, the Provincial Water Authority of Koh Samui announced a rotational zonal distribution plan. This measure lasts seven days, from 3 to 9 August 2026. The measure is necessary as raw water resources continue to decline and are no longer sufficient to supply the entire island simultaneously.
Today, Koh Samui receives only 16,000 cubic metres of water per day from the mainland, while average consumption reaches 34,000 cubic metres. There is therefore a shortfall of 18,000 cubic metres each day. To manage this deficit, the authority has divided the island into a yellow zone on one side, and red and green zones on the other. Water will be supplied alternately between these groups of sectors, day after day, throughout the week. This is a daily zonal rotation, not an hourly cut-off during the day. No detailed hour-by-hour schedule has been published yet.
The authorities are clearly asking residents to store water in advance and reduce their consumption to the strict minimum during this period. On social media, many expatriates and locals are already expressing their frustration at a problem that returns every year and are calling for more sustainable solutions.
Hotels, restaurants and shops are also being hit hard. Many establishments have to bring in water by tanker lorry, which significantly increases their costs. The Provincial Water Authority states that it will monitor the situation daily and will announce when normal distribution can resume.
Matichon & PWA