Onus now on team draining water

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION 
CHIANG RAI

 

 

With rains predicted later this week, rescue workers work relentlessly to ensure safe evacuation of 13 footballers.

 

THE FLOODWATER drainage operation at the Tham Luang cave is continuing to facilitate the safe evacuation of the 13 footballers who were found on Monday night.

 

The Water drainage team that includes officials and volunteers yesterday continued their tireless efforts to lower the water levels within the cave.

 

Their operation was crucial, Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn said, as they have to make sure the water level is low enough to ensure the safe recovery of the young footballers and their coach. 

 

Though they have not suffered any injuries, the boys ranging in age from 11 to 16, and their coach, 25, are exhausted after spending nearly 10 days trapped inside the cave.

 

 

Three large water pipes at the entrance to the cave have been pumping out huge volumes of water nonstop since last Saturday. This has created an artificial stream and waterfall on the way to the reservoir downstream.

 

Groundwater Resources Department engineer Amnuai Suthi-aat said that his team would continue to work day and night until the stranded footballers were brought to safety.

 

 

“There are three groundwater wells in the area near the entrance to the cave, which can pump out groundwater at 200 cubic metres per hour,” Amnuai said.

 

“So far our efforts to pump out water have been very successful, as the water in the cave system has been lowered enough to let the Navy SEALs reach the trapped children inside, but we are considering drilling more wells in case the rescue team needs the water level to be even lower to get the boys out.”

 

Akekachai Sae-Tieaw, a private water-pump operator from Nakhon Pathom province, pledged to continue assisting the water drainage mission until all 13 footballers were brought out of the cave.

 

“We are all glad to hear that the rescue team has found the boys and we are looking forward to see them being brought out safely,” Akekachai said.

 

“We are even more delighted that we have played our part in this successful mission, but our mission is not over yet, as we still have work to do.” 

 

He said currently the team’ four high-pressure water pumps were operating at the Tham Sai Thong cave and the downstream reservoir.

 

Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute director-general Sutat Weesakul said the rescue team was helped by the easing of rains during the weekend, as the precipitation measurement at Tambon Wiang Phang Kham, about three kilometres from the cave, showed that the average daily rainfall during the past three days was lower than three millimetres.

 

 

Sutat said this part of Chiang Rai will have low precipitation for at least two more days and then the rainy weather will resume later in the week. He said if the team were unable to get the trapped footballers out of the cave within two days, they should prepare for more rains and an influx of water in the cave.

 

The strong monsoon will affect Chiang Rai and bring widespread rainfall to around 40 per cent of the province and the whole western half of the country and the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand.

 

“The rainfall and the weather remains the most crucial factor in this rescue operation, as no matter how much the team drains water out of the cave, every 10 millimetres of rain per day in the area will add 40,000 cubic metres of water to the system,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30349244

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-04

They are not LARGE water pipes in the photo.  200 cubic metres is nothing. Need a lot more than that to do the job.

Great work and good luck so much safer if they can walk,swim out without having to dive or at least  keep the diving to an absolute minimum 

13 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

They are not LARGE water pipes in the photo.  200 cubic metres is nothing. Need a lot more than that to do the job.

I think that is from wells that were drilled to lower the water table not what is being pumped from the cave. That rate I read was 1.5m litres an hour.

Get them out ASAP......

Every story makes out as to how murky the water is, that water in the pictures doesn't seem murky at all to me. Hope they are pumping water from the right area.

its being pumped from well below the cave level to lower the water table. the muddy water is inside the cave