Eastern Seaboard Water Shortage Becoming Acute

[george]

Eastern Seaboard water shortage becoming acute

BANGKOK: -- As factories located in Thailand's Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate are facing a serious water shortage, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said today that his government would try to help by diverting water from various sources to feed them.

The government is closely monitoring the situation, Mr Thaksin said.

It does not want people to become alarmed.

Echoing the prime minister's remarks, Piravat Rungruangsri, Manager of Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, said related agencies were now mapping out short, medium and long-term plans to alleviate the water shortage.

Protests now being launched by villagers in the eastern Rayong Province in response to diverting water from the Rayong River were purely misunderstanding by the villagers as water diversion is aimed only at using excess water for the benefit of others who are suffering from water shortage, Mr. Piravat said.

Industrialists operating along the Eastern Seaboard are now buying water, which has helped increase income for villagers in Rayong.

Several other plants have already stored water for their production needs.

They believe that industrial production could be affected after next January when there is no water left and many plants will have to either close their businesses, or cut production.

Thai Oil, for example, plans to suspend production at its IPT electricity plant, which has the capacity to produce 700 megawatts and uses up to 14,000 cubic meters of water in its normal production process.

--TNA 2005-07-31