The children of Koh Poh
Bringing water to the people

A project to improve the water supply on a tiny, pristine island in Krabi province following the tsunami shows the complex pressures communities in tourist destinations face as they take charge of their own development

'People here are no longer concerned about preserving their houses. They're concerned about preserving their culture.'' Ruangthong Janda is talking about the community on Koh Poh, an island off the coast of Krabi province. She is a community worker with the Chumchon Thai Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) partner on the ground for the Koh Lanta/Koh Poh project. Almost three years after the massive Indian Ocean tsunami devastated communities across Thailand's Andaman coast, Koh Poh has completely recovered. But along with the destruction, the tsunami brought a second wave: Well-meaning offers of help that threatened to swamp the island with outsiders and their ideas.

The islanders admit that they felt overwhelmed. ''We didn't know how to cope with so many donors,'' says Iad Ya-mae, the leader of the community. ''We were very selective about what help we took.''