Water security in Thailand?

[Hal65]

Cape Town, South Africa is running out of water: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-42836560

 

Makes you wonder about your own part of the world as this problem will surely spread. How does Thailand fare in terms of water usage and water security? Are we at particular risk, or largely ok compared to others?

[Airbagwill]

In the future, wars will be fought over water.

 

All over the world countries have water supply problems.

 

Thailand has a particularly flawed appreciation of their own situation. They have very archaic views on how water is sourced and still believe that dam building is the solution.

However they fail to address how wasteful water storage and distribution is in the kingdom.

Just because a lot of rain falls on a region, it doesn't mean they won't have water supply problems.

You just have to look at the number of houses with large storage tanks to see how intermittent domestic supplies already are and are accepted as a fact of life.

At present the government is going ahead full steam on the EEC project and yet I suspect there are serious question marks over where all the extra water required is going to come from.

In the next few years they are going to have to address the lack of policies, cohesion and infrastructure in the nation's water supply. However, I don't see anyone currently in power with the knowledge and capabilities to deal with the problem.

[lopburi3]

10 minutes ago, Airbagwill said:

You just have to look at the number of houses with large storage tanks to see how intermittent domestic supplies already are and are accepted as a fact of life.

I would estimate at least 90% of those tanks are being used as holding for pumps to increase water pressure rather than issues with intermittent supply - pressure had just not increased with customers desire for power showers and automatic washing machines and very few locations can afford public money for high storage tanks to help this issue.

[NanLaew]

48 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

I would estimate at least 90% of those tanks are being used as holding for pumps to increase water pressure rather than issues with intermittent supply - pressure had just not increased with customers desire for power showers and automatic washing machines and very few locations can afford public money for high storage tanks to help this issue.

In other words and as airbagwill alluded, Thailand's water supply chain and the end-users utilization is predicated by the arcane infrastructure on which it depends, ie. dams, low-pressure, gravity-feed and astrology.

 

They really need to get RID of some of the institutions involved in this resource mismanagement.

[Dmaxdan]

There is a reason why water is often referred to as blue gold  -  Only one-hundredth of 1 percent of the world's water is readily available for human use, and none of us can live with out it.

 

We have a storage tank at our house, but it wasn't installed because the water supply in our village has ever run dry, it was done because our village mains water system is for ever breaking down. 

 

 

[Airbagwill]

3 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

I would estimate at least 90% of those tanks are being used as holding for pumps to increase water pressure rather than issues with intermittent supply - pressure had just not increased with customers desire for power showers and automatic washing machines and very few locations can afford public money for high storage tanks to help this issue.

The tanks are to hold water in reserve - as also very few mains supplies even have the pressure to supply many upstairs on buildings a pump is used . If it was a just a matter of gravitiy you could put a tank in the roof, you certainly wouldn't need such a large tank.

 

It just goes to show how  poor the infrastructure is when it comes to water supplies. I've lived North of Pattaya for nearly 20 years and can warrant the frequency of supply disruption in many locations around Chonburi.

 

The problem is that many people aren't aware the water supply has ceased as they just automatically use the reserves in the tanks. _one of my houses had 2 2 metre high tanks....if it wasn't for reserve, you would only need a tiny tank for pumping and houses in Thailand have enormous tanks. Before that they had the huge clay rainwater tanks which again shows the lack of mains supplies.

 

i became aware first of mains shortages in Pattaya where the house was on a well, even though it was only about 500 metres off Central Road.

 

the problem with appreciating the intermittency of water supplies in Thailand is that both the mains have to stop and then the tank run out.

 

In fact with myself I don't use  the tank/pump until the mains runs out. This is because I found my pimp was pumping water back into the mains due to some quirk in the original installation. I saved about 30% of my water consumption as a result.

 

i very much doubt that most foreigners and probably a lot of Thais actually spend much time worrying about there houses' water supplies so long as something comes out of the tap....I suspect many are wasting gallons eery day.

[Airbagwill]

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

There is a reason why water is often referred to as blue gold  -  Only one-hundredth of 1 percent of the world's water is readily available for human use, and none of us can live with out it.

 

We have a storage tank at our house, but it wasn't installed because the water supply in our village has ever run dry, it was done because our village mains water system is for ever breaking down. 

 

 

I don't see the distinction between running dry and breaking down - the point is that the infrastructure is phenomenally wasteful.

[Airbagwill]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

In other words and as airbagwill alluded, Thailand's water supply chain and the end-users utilization is predicated by the arcane infrastructure on which it depends, ie. dams, low-pressure, gravity-feed and astrology.

 

They really need to get RID of some of the institutions involved in this resource mismanagement.

RID is only one of the bodies, which in itself is a problem.....they are not truly responsible to governments and have some incredibly archaic philosophies.

[Speedo1968]

Why can't Thailand build de-sal plants, or is it just shortage of funds ? ( or ideas ? )

Saudi even had small de-sal plants mounted on barges to supplement other water supplies.

 

I worked in Saudi in the 1980's, during that time Jeddahs water supply came from de-sal plants, a small RO plant ( 12,000 tonnes per day ) and deep wells under the city.   The city began to sink.

 

A de-sal plant was built in 1989 and had to be re-furbished in 2007, a further plant built in 1994 and had to be re-furbished in 2009.

 

During the 1980's running and maintenance was done mainly by Thai's.    As I have seen elsewhere their skills and workmanship in heavy engineering were excellent.     For some reason the govt decided to use labour from other

countries and the water plants started to breakdown.

 

I worked at a farm some 70Kms north of Jeddah through out the 80's..    The farm and services etc were built at the end of 1970's.  It was fully integrated with its own power station ( Thai engineers ) and a 1,000 tonnes per day de-sal plant ( Thai engineers ).    It is still in operation today.

 

Mind you Singapore still hasn't gone far down the road of self sufficiency in potable water.

[lopburi3]

There is no need for de-sal activity in Thailand as there is no shortage of water - this is a monsoon country with heavy rainfall.  What is needed is better storage and control of this water.  Now most returns to the sea in often destarious ways.  

[ardsong]

@speedo1968 , de-sal water is very expensive!  Thailand has a lot of pure rainwater for drinking, so why spend money on something you get for free. For Thailand it is a matter of planning the water conservation and distribution and there should not be a problem.

[Airbagwill]

2 hours ago, Speedo1968 said:

Why can't Thailand build de-sal plants, or is it just shortage of funds ?

massively inefficient and expensive.

THailand's problem is not finding fresh water, it's distributing it to industry and homes.

[Cake Monster]

I live close to the EEC project, and thew water situation here is appalling to say the least.

Many factories here have to source water from bore holes and hasve it delivered by tankers to there premises.

So many people here are are dreaming that the new proposed water pipe line to supply Pattaya will solve the problems for everybody in the imeadiate vicinity of Pattaya.

One day maybe never I think.

[Airbagwill]

2 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

I live close to the EEC project, and thew water situation here is appalling to say the least.

Many factories here have to source water from bore holes and hasve it delivered by tankers to there premises.

So many people here are are dreaming that the new proposed water pipe line to supply Pattaya will solve the problems for everybody in the imeadiate vicinity of Pattaya.

One day maybe never I think.

"close to"??? - If you live in Chachoengsao, Chonburi or Rayong provinces you live IN the EEC project. There are already concerns about pollution, ware and the environment in general but the government has actually closed down bodies that are meant to be monitoring and giving advice about te development. They are cutting corners at every opportunity and this does not bode well for essentials such as water.