The government has released more than Bt3 million baht to fix the drainage problem in two key areas of the island in preparation for the coming monsoon season. Samui normally get heavy rains in November. And because of a bad drainage system, these usually result in flashfloods that cause terrible traffic around the island.

Parinya Veerajit, chief of the Koh Samui highways department, said that funding to improve the 66-kilometer drainage canals around the island was in the pipeline. Bt1.9 million has been released so far to build a V-shape drainage tunnel in front of the Ford showroom in Sraket sub-district to the road junction at Ban Sraket.

For years, the area has been the subject of complaints from residents and motorists, he said. During a downpour, the area immediately gets flooded, causing monstrous traffic jams.

Parinya also disclosed that the highways department also got another Bt1.3 million for a similar drainage project at a junction near the Racha ferry pier. As in Ban Sraket, this junction is almost impassable during heavy downpours.

The highways chief also revealed that on top of these two drainage projects, the government has earmarked Bt900 million for concrete footpaths on both sides of the road from Maenam to Bophut and on fixing the drainage system in front of Big C supermarket in Bophut. – Chat Anupan