The water supply in Sattahip district of Chon Buri had to be temporarily shut down following the discovery of two decomposing corpses in a local reservoir on Friday.
The bodies of two men were found after residents noticed the stench and alerted officials overseeing the reservoir, which supplies the local community.
Officials suspected that the men had died two to three days earlier, likely falling out of their boats while net fishing and being unable to get out of the water due to exhaustion. The bodies have been sent to Bangkok for autopsy.
The discovery sparked widespread fear in Sattahip, expressed through social media, since the reservoir supplies water for daily use throughout the district.
The Sattahip branch of Eastern Water Resources Development and Management Plc (Eastwater) posted a video and photos of a cleaning operation in the reservoir and the release of its contents shortly after the bodies were discovered and retrieved.
According to a timeline released by Eastwater, all water discharges from the reservoir were suspended immediately after the bodies were found on Friday. Distribution resumed only on Saturday morning after the reservoir was drained and cleaned, it said.
One local resident, identified only as Wisarut, said the tap water at his home appeared discoloured and had an odour. He questioned if the pool seen in the photos was the same as the affected reservoir, as it appeared to be smaller.
He also urged authorities to take precautions to prevent a repeat of the incident.