Emergency measure to ease water crisis in eastern seaboard

BANGKOK: -- The Agricultural Ministry has announced a number of measures to resolve the looming water crisis set to hit factories in the Eastern Seaboard areas.

These measures, for long, medium and short terms, involve irrigation of water from nearby sources, building more reservoirs and even asking to irrigate water from Cambodia.

Agriculture and Co-operatives Minister Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan appealed for all to help conserve water as statistics over the past five years indicate that rainfalls are steadily declining.

To meet immediate demand in industrial estates in Chonburi and Rayong totalling 800,000 cubic metres of water per day and to build a reserve for at least 200 days, the authorities will intensify efforts to pipe waters from all available sources including the Rayong and Bangpakong River. Artificial rainmaking operations are also planned above the key reservoirs in the provinces.

Khunying Sudarat reaffirmed that these concerted efforts will guarantee enough water supply and she urged all not to panic yet.

As part of longer term water resource management, the Irrigation Department is studying the possibility of building more reservoirs, as well as to irrigate water from the Strungnam hydro-electricity dam that the Thai government has signed an agreement to jointly develop with Cambodia.

--TNA 2005-07-31

--TNA 2005-07-31

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