Thailand's Water Issues

[greenwanderer108]

Something that happens ever year. (atleast since I moved here 4 years ago)

One part of the year, there is massive floods (too much water)

The other part of the year, there is major drought (not enough water)

Anyone who can put one and one together could see the obvious logic of how to fix such a problem once and for all.

There seems to be a lot of time and money when the droughts hit to create/stimulate rain. Is this logical?

Why don't they just utilize the water that they have excess of during the monsoons to keep reserve for the drought times. I understand that there are several big resavoirs and damms in this country, but they obviously aren't sufficient enough for the droughtj times.

I assume it's just politics, corruption, and an issue of how budget money gets circulated. However, I would really like to hear the light and logic why the engineers aren't cultivating/utilizing the excess to make up for the lack of...

In the ancient times, the lands infrastructure/system with resavoirs/canals was sufficient as to keep the crops sufficiently watered throughout the year from Angkor to Panom Rung to Champasaak, Luang Prabang, Sukhothai, Ayutthya, Buri Ram, etc. etc. And this is all before the automobile took over. Go figure.

Ofcourse, the canals and waterways have been neglected so bad today with the replacement of all these ugly motor-ways connecting the masses, so this is my assumption/explanation of why such water problems exists today that didn't in the past.

[chownah]

The answer to your question about why engineers don't....is simple. Engineers do not decide what projects will be done. Engineers do not determine the amount of money to be spent on a project. Both of these things are done by politicians. Some politicians decide what they want done and how much money is to be spent and then the engineers design the facility and oversee the construction...engineers just design and build what they are told..........this is an oversimplification of the process but is basically correct and , I believe, answers your question. I would also like to note that if engineers were put in charge then it is likely that the environment would suffer needlessly...engineers do not have a good track record in being environmentally or socially responsible.

[greenwanderer108]

Perhaps I should re-phrase the question.

Why aren't politicians coordinating/colaberating with environmental and infrastructure engineers to tackle the problem?

Sure coruption and politics is clear here...but what are the politicians logic and reasoning for investing so much capital in stimulated rain when there is already an excess of rain for a third of the year.

One reason that bugged me about all this was Mr. T's recent reasoning in cutting the mega project infrastructure budget promissed at 5.5 trillion baht almost in half--saying the rest of it would be used for water issues in Korat i.e. stimulated rain project for the drought (BRT at the loss of MRT)

So now the rest of Bangkok has to suffer for the lack of proper logical problem solution in other areas, such as water handling.

[samran]

The MOF and the BOT advised the PM to cut the recent infrastucture budget as it wouldf fuel inflation. Good to see that he is occassionally takes good economic advice.

Already running quite high, extra inflation would lessen confidence in the economy. So we'd have nice dams but we'd have less valuable money to pay for the taxes to fund the dams.

What Thailand needs more than mega infrastructure is micro economic reform to provide incentives for people to use water correctly, price it according to its true economic value (its not free). Not build dams. The pricing structure at the moment makes it too cheap and easy for people to use water.

Why aren't politicians coordinating/colaberating with environmental and infrastructure engineers to tackle the problem?

The work Senator Mechai has done in the north east is illustrative. Through his non profit organisation the PDA (the provincial development agency), he has worked with many rural communities to develop piped water supplies where there have been none previously. His schemes all involve developing infrastructure, and establishing a tarriff regime where villagers pay to cover the full cost of supply. All the villagers involved now have regular running water, where as previously they were reliant on unreliable and unhigenic public supplies.

Politicians and engineers tend to want to create a rolls royce solution to where a toyota solution is needed. Hence you end up spending alot of money on infratructure that is too expensinve to maintain on one hand, breaks down and remains unable to help the people who need it most.

On the other hand in cities and bigger towns, price incentives make water consumption too cheap for both consumers and industry.

Edited September 4, 2005 by samran

[chownah]

Good post Samran.

About cloud seeding. Cloud seeding is sponsored by H.M. the King and thus is very popular with everyone so it will go forward. Its actual cost is very very low compared to building dams, canals, and distribution networks. I don't know exactly what it costs but am reasonably sure that it is so low that it is not realistic to think that funding it in any way would compete with funding megaprojects. Whether any particular person believes that cloud seeding is cost effective or not, there is enough evidence so that it is politically viable and so it continues with the full support of this gov't.

Also, building a cross country canal to transfer water from one region to another is not an easy task politically. You don't want to alienate one region by exporting water one month and then having a drought locally with inadequate water two months later...I live in the north and inspite of our abundant rain fall we do have water shortages some years and if some of our water were being exported there would be alot of really upset farmers here....even in good years farmers squabble a bit about not getting their share.

[greenwanderer108]

Sorry...posted in the wrong thread...

Anyway, lots of quality information to intake and reflect.

Edited September 5, 2005 by greenwanderer108

[joe beets]

The work Senator Mechai has done in the north east is illustrative. Through his non profit organisation the PDA (the provincial development agency)..

Not to be a noodge, but PDA stands for "Population and Community Development Association" - I used to work with them on one of their rural projects in Isaan. Great people. Water collecting and management were near the top of their to-do list. Self-sufficiency is the goal. Slow, sustainable growth is key. Things get overheated and people start getting greedy. What was it the sage Trink used to say?

huMAN natURE

jb