The tourist archipelago of Ko Phi Phi in Thailand, made famous by the movie "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio, and other neighboring paradisiacal islands are currently suffering from severe water shortages, according to a senior tourism official and residents of the region, quoted by AFP and NOVA.
Located along the coast of Phuket, Koh Phi Phi attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year with its white sand beaches and turquoise waters.
In recent weeks, an extreme heat wave has hit Southeast Asia, breaking records and dropping reservoir levels sharply.
"The private company that supplies water to the islands may have to stop supplies," Vichupan Pukaoulan Srisanya, chairman of the Krabi Region Hoteliers Association, told AFP. "We want to assure tourists who plan to visit the islands that we can handle this situation,", she added.
Authorities intend to transport water from the mainland if the rainy season slows down.
Residents, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP that the water shortage has been going on for months and some hotels are empty because of this.
In the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui, another very popular tourist island, also faced similar dry and hot weather, but visitors were not affected, according to the local tourism office.
Bangkok authorities have been warning for more than a week of extreme heat, with temperatures reaching as high as 52 degrees.
Human-induced climate change will lead to more frequent, longer and more intense heat waves, scientists regularly warn.
According to data from the United Nations World Meteorological Organization, the El Niño phenomenon is contributing to the extremely hot climate this year, and Asia is warming faster than the global average.