The Flood Situation In Thailand

[webfact]

Special report: The flood situation in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- The Water Resources Department's Director General Jatuporn Burutpat said every country attending the latest World water Forum showed their concerns for the quality of water. In the meantime, Thailand is prepared to to tackle flooding in 20 provinces this year.

Mr. Jatuporn said that the objective of this year's "World Water Forum" was to urge every nation to realize the importance of the water in their countries. According to him, Thailand revealed how it had coped with the impact of last year's drought and worst flood crisis .

He also said under the drought crisis prevention plan, the Department of Groundwater Resources and the Department of Royal Irrigation have worked together to prevent the situation from exacerbating. Drinking water, as well as water for other purposes, has been provided for residents in more than 20 provinces across Thailand.

However, Mr. Jatuporn said the drought situation was expected to be less severe this year. In anticipation for a possible flood this year, authorities have ordered all canals dredged up and more land turned into monkey cheek reservoirs. An emergency plan has already been put in place by the Ministry of Interior. Backhoes and water container trucks will be on standby ready to provide water for people living in the provinces of Chainat, Singburi, Angthong and several others in the central region as well as those living around industrial estates, added the Director General.

The operation is expected to be completed by the end of May. The Water Resources Department's Director General said last year’s flood had negative impact on the industrial sector in Thailand as well as on foreign investments, particularly those from Japan. In addition, measures have been taken to raise foreign investors' confidence in Thailand’s ability to cope with floods and restore the entire industrial sector; the measures which, according to Mr. Jatuporn, have received positive responses from other countries.

-- NNT 2012-03-27

[Pib]

Backhoes and water container trucks will be on standby ready to provide water for people living in the provinces of Chainat, Singburi, Angthong and several others in the central region as well as those living around industrial estates, added the Director General.

Backhoes to provide water?

[Thailand]

I will make a wild guess and say right now there will not be flooding in 20 provinces this year. Already the conditions that helped to create the floods last year are not the same.

2011 almost continuous rain from 1st March, ground became saturated and by August nowhere for water to run off, a few large typhoon leftovers hit northern Thailand in quick succession rivers overflowed and combined with water drainage/release mismanagement we got the floods.

I am not saying there won't be some flooding but nowhere near what we had last year.

Simply my observations and I am often wrong!

[Thai at Heart]

I will make a wild guess and say right now there will not be flooding in 20 provinces this year. Already the conditions that helped to create the floods last year are not the same.

2011 almost continuous rain from 1st March, ground became saturated and by August nowhere for water to run off, a few large typhoon leftovers hit northern Thailand in quick succession rivers overflowed and combined with water drainage/release mismanagement we got the floods.

I am not saying there won't be some flooding but nowhere near what we had last year.

Simply my observations and I am often wrong!

Well no one knows how much it will rain, but yes, last year was extraordinary for the volume of rain early in the year. This year so far, very different.

That said, obviously the people running the damns got it very wrong, which can happen, but none the less, it doesn't mean that it can't happen again. That's mother nature. And to be honest, the issue is if it even floods for 1 week as badly as last year, it will probably be 1 week too much for many to bear.

It isn't so much that it floods for a day, a week or a month, the damage is done.

[Hornell]

Flood prevention measures for the Central Region are all very well, but at the back end of 2010 the same thing happened in the Isaan, although not quite on the same scale, which people - especially the government - seem to forget. It is not knee jerk measures that are required but a systematic and coordinated look at the problem on a grand scale. But TIT so I doubt much will happen

[londonthai]

"Thailand revealed how it had coped with the impact of last year's drought and worst flood crisis"

yes, Thailand revealed it the last year on the news channels across the globe, not much to say now by the director.

Judging the low level of khlongs around my house I would think, that drought would be on cards this year, followed by massive floods (nobody is dredging those mentioned canals and kids now can walk across them)

[daiwill60]

According to him, Thailand revealed how it had coped with the impact of last year's drought and worst flood crisis .

Yeah right, miss - coped would have been a better word to use.

He also said under the drought crisis prevention plan, the Department of Groundwater Resources and the Department of Royal Irrigation have worked together to prevent the situation from exacerbating. Drinking water, as well as water for other purposes, has been provided for residents in more than 20 provinces across Thailand.

Again, Yeah right, after the cock up in the first place.

But what have they learnt?

Have they learnt that, it will not pay to use large proportions of the budget set aside for this mitigation plan to work for tea money payments, instead of what it is really intended to be used for?

Have they learnt to use real experts, educated in real universities, who can properly identify what needs to be done and advise, rather than the badly or totally uneducated Thai experts who, have maybe bought their positions, with little or no real knowledge of flood mitigation systems ?

I doubt it.

[BillyBobThai]

Where I live, south of Chiang Mai, they are currently dredging the Ping river, and many smaller canals.

[TeddyFlyfisherDavis]

"Prepared"...?

[vijer]

I will make a wild guess and say right now there will not be flooding in 20 provinces this year. Already the conditions that helped to create the floods last year are not the same.

2011 almost continuous rain from 1st March, ground became saturated and by August nowhere for water to run off, a few large typhoon leftovers hit northern Thailand in quick succession rivers overflowed and combined with water drainage/release mismanagement we got the floods.

I am not saying there won't be some flooding but nowhere near what we had last year.

Simply my observations and I am often wrong!

I have to agree with 'Thailand', I don't think there will be flooding like last year. Nope this year it is going to be severe drought for eight more months. Nothing will grow, the poor farmers will have dust to cultivate and will become poorer, the price of food will rise, and the poor will become poorer. And Thailand will still be without a proper water management plan, but one or more politicians will manage to fill their pockets with tea money from all the purported water management plans designed by the Thai experts and constructed by the skilled Thai workers. When it does flood again, it will be proven by nature, the water management plans will fail because of poor design and construction. There will be lots of talk about impropriety and corruption and investigations will ensue ... after months of finger pointing they will come to the conclusion 'we choose the wrong experts and construction contractors last time, this time we will do a better job'. The whole cycle will repeat itself.

[theblether]

Every General fights a new war using the tactics of the last war.

We all agree that last years rainfall was extraordinary, and anyone saying that nothing is being done to prepare for a repeat this year is wrong.

That's not where the problem lies, the problem lies with the lack of long term water management. The memories of last year will fade, the dredging will slow down over the next few years, the canals will be built over again, then when the next flood comes it will be back to square one.

I hope I'm wrong........I don't think I'm wrong though.

[hellodolly]

According to him, Thailand revealed how it had coped with the impact of last year's drought and worst flood crisis .

Yeah right, miss - coped would have been a better word to use.

He also said under the drought crisis prevention plan, the Department of Groundwater Resources and the Department of Royal Irrigation have worked together to prevent the situation from exacerbating. Drinking water, as well as water for other purposes, has been provided for residents in more than 20 provinces across Thailand.

Again, Yeah right, after the cock up in the first place.

But what have they learnt?

Have they learnt that, it will not pay to use large proportions of the budget set aside for this mitigation plan to work for tea money payments, instead of what it is really intended to be used for?

Have they learnt to use real experts, educated in real universities, who can properly identify what needs to be done and advise, rather than the badly or totally uneducated Thai experts who, have maybe bought their positions, with little or no real knowledge of flood mitigation systems ?

I doubt it.

Why not just pay attention to what the king told them years ago. The closest to a expert in water management Thailand has ever produced and they ignore him.

[hellodolly]

I have to admit it the plan looks good for certain areas but will they follow through with it and as the blethersay's keep on top of it in the years to come.

Would be nice to incorporate the forestry department in to the plan for the reseeding of certain areas and some how put a stop to the unregulated urban and industrial growth.

Yes I know her Highness has already said to replant every thing but talk is not only cheap but when it comes to the Government a lot of times useless.

[ResX]

I was attending the submit too. I was there listening to his keynote speech. I'm still here in Chiang Mai at the moment.

I did mentioned in one of my posts that I have been to Sirkt and Bhumibol dam about 9-10 years ago. During the submit I met the person who accompanied my visit to Bhumibol and Sirkit. I was quite suprised that could still remember me.

[ResX]

I will make a wild guess and say right now there will not be flooding in 20 provinces this year. Already the conditions that helped to create the floods last year are not the same.

2011 almost continuous rain from 1st March, ground became saturated and by August nowhere for water to run off, a few large typhoon leftovers hit northern Thailand in quick succession rivers overflowed and combined with water drainage/release mismanagement we got the floods.

I am not saying there won't be some flooding but nowhere near what we had last year.

Simply my observations and I am often wrong!

That is what many people beleive. For laymen on the street it it doesn't really matter what they want to beleive. But for flood control authorities such beleive will bring another trouble.

If you can recall 2011, autorities in Thailand beleived that it was going to be a drought. Thta was not the first time they predicted an event that thta sholud not predict in the first.

What I'm proposing is just assume the same flood llike last year will come this year. Be prepare as if it going to happen. That is how the flood mitigation shall be dealt with....

[rubl]

Where I live, south of Chiang Mai, they are currently dredging the Ping river, and many smaller canals.

As a 'stand alone' action it sounds reasonable. One may wonder though if this means the surrounding area will feel the draught sooner, or if water will now flow towards Bangkok more quick.

Let's hope things are also done stream downwards

Edited March 27, 2012 by rubl

[ResX]

Every General fights a new war using the tactics of the last war.

We all agree that last years rainfall was extraordinary, and anyone saying that nothing is being done to prepare for a repeat this year is wrong.

That's not where the problem lies, the problem lies with the lack of long term water management. The memories of last year will fade, the dredging will slow down over the next few years, the canals will be built over again, then when the next flood comes it will be back to square one.

I hope I'm wrong........I don't think I'm wrong though.

"The memories of last year will fade, the dredging will slow down over the next few years, the canals will be built over again, then when the next flood comes it will be back to square one"

Good point. That was one of the issued that has been raised during the submit. It is true that to sustain the desire to combat this extreme event is one of the things that is lacking. I mean not only true for Thailand. As the submit has taught me, US, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, my country are not spared from the same problem.

The delegates will try to adress this problem. Lesson learned from Thailand flood, the submit will put more emphasize on flood mitigation and control in the future undertaking.

One more thing I wish to share based on one of the resolutions of the submit. Most extreme flood events that occured iover the past had little thing to do with climate change. This included floods in Thailand....

[steenasger]

I will make a wild guess and say right now there will not be flooding in 20 provinces this year. Already the conditions that helped to create the floods last year are not the same.

2011 almost continuous rain from 1st March, ground became saturated and by August nowhere for water to run off, a few large typhoon leftovers hit northern Thailand in quick succession rivers overflowed and combined with water drainage/release mismanagement we got the floods.

I am not saying there won't be some flooding but nowhere near what we had last year.

Simply my observations and I am often wrong!

That is what many people beleive. For laymen on the street it it doesn't really matter what they want to beleive. But for flood control authorities such beleive will bring another trouble.

If you can recall 2011, autorities in Thailand beleived that it was going to be a drought. Thta was not the first time they predicted an event that thta sholud not predict in the first.

What I'm proposing is just assume the same flood llike last year will come this year. Be prepare as if it going to happen. That is how the flood mitigation shall be dealt with....

Exellent observation and proposal....that is how to do it!

[ResX]

I will make a wild guess and say right now there will not be flooding in 20 provinces this year. Already the conditions that helped to create the floods last year are not the same.

2011 almost continuous rain from 1st March, ground became saturated and by August nowhere for water to run off, a few large typhoon leftovers hit northern Thailand in quick succession rivers overflowed and combined with water drainage/release mismanagement we got the floods.

I am not saying there won't be some flooding but nowhere near what we had last year.

Simply my observations and I am often wrong!

That is what many people beleive. For laymen on the street it it doesn't really matter what they want to beleive. But for flood control authorities such beleive will bring another trouble.

If you can recall 2011, autorities in Thailand beleived that it was going to be a drought. Thta was not the first time they predicted an event that thta sholud not predict in the first.

What I'm proposing is just assume the same flood llike last year will come this year. Be prepare as if it going to happen. That is how the flood mitigation shall be dealt with....

Exellent observation and proposal....that is how to do it!

Thank you mate for your sincere compliment. I'm about to leave Chiang Mai.

[londonthai]

Most extreme flood events that occured iover the past had little thing to do with climate change. This included floods in Thailand....

yes, nothing to do with nature, cutting down tropical forests and burning them, releasing harmful gases and creating greenhouse effect, they were simply acts of god(s) or karma

[Buchholz]

Wet forecast scares post-flood Thailand

Last years floods have left their mark on Thailand, as shown by the panic caused by forecasts of a rainy wet season this year.

TRACY BOWDEN, PRESENTER: Australians know all too well the heartbreak of floods, but the recent deluges here pale in comparison to the inundation suffered by Thailand last year. The worst floods in half a century claimed more than 800 lives, affected 13 million and led to 65 of the country's 77 provinces being declared disaster zones. Many Thais are still repairing the damage and are now frantically building new flood barriers as a fresh wet season approaches with more heavy rainfall predicted. South-East Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel reports.

ZOE DANIEL, REPORTER: The water is gone here, but the pain isn't and it never will be. The flood took a child away from his parents at Samwa on Bangkok's outskirts. The receding water has left their son's grave dry and dusty and has only exposed their grief.

Continues:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-09/wet-forecast-scares-post-flood-thailand/3939964

ABC News - April 9, 2012

[Bagwan]

I will make a wild guess and say right now there will not be flooding in 20 provinces this year. Already the conditions that helped to create the floods last year are not the same.

2011 almost continuous rain from 1st March, ground became saturated and by August nowhere for water to run off, a few large typhoon leftovers hit northern Thailand in quick succession rivers overflowed and combined with water drainage/release mismanagement we got the floods.

I am not saying there won't be some flooding but nowhere near what we had last year.

Simply my observations and I am often wrong!

So in effect you are saying that you know three eigths of F.A. What a waste of electrons.

[ResX]

I will make a wild guess and say right now there will not be flooding in 20 provinces this year. Already the conditions that helped to create the floods last year are not the same.

2011 almost continuous rain from 1st March, ground became saturated and by August nowhere for water to run off, a few large typhoon leftovers hit northern Thailand in quick succession rivers overflowed and combined with water drainage/release mismanagement we got the floods.

Simply my observations and I am often wrong!

Every General fights a new war using the tactics of the last war.

We all agree that last years rainfall was extraordinary, and anyone saying that nothing is being done to prepare for a repeat this year is wrong.

That's not where the problem lies, the problem lies with the lack of long term water management. The memories of last year will fade, the dredging will slow down over the next few years, the canals will be built over again, then when the next flood comes it will be back to square one.

I hope I'm wrong........I don't think I'm wrong though.

It may or may not be flood this year. What had happenned in Mac this year has little bearing on Sept to Oct floods this year. The critical period for Chao Phraya catchment is end of Sept to mid of Nov. This duration that counts. If most of flood control dams do not have at least 15% empty by end of September then I will say you have at least 25% chances that there are going to be flooding somewhere. The floods might not be as big as the last year's event but flood is still flood.

If most of the dams will be fully filled by end of September then I wll say 98% changes you are going to see another flood this year. The size is more or less equal to the last year's flood if not bigger than that.

Let me make it simple. Flood waters during the last year's floods were not originated from Mac to August rainfalls. They came from Sept to November.

Beware of the end of September. Last year, most of the dams in Thailand were beaten by as early as by the1st September. Thailand marched through the monsoon "naked". People like us who know the behaviour of flood flow could easily see that Thailand was beaten by floods at least a month earlier than it supposed to be. Flood or no flood this conclusion holds.

Edited April 10, 2012 by ResX

[FangFerang]

An Englishman I know tipped me off last year to something I now consider an Axiom: All news stories in Thailand are cyclic, and repeat themselves either annually or bi-annually. The names and dates are different, the slant is different, but the stories are the same. It makes me want to be a Meteorologist in Bangkok. I film myself once saying, "Today will be hot and humid, with a chance of thunderstorms late in the day." I would only work three months a year after that taping.

[moe666]

I guess you could call what they are doing to the Ping dredging. They have stripped the banks, have backhoes digging out dirt, but It was a bit hard to figure exactly what they where doing

[steenasger]

Dam management 2012

Last year Bhumipol and Sirikit dams became full by the end of September, and the resulting large uncontrolled spillovers added to the flood peak creating havoc in Nakhon Sawan and many other areas along the Chao Phraya river. This calls for improved dam management in the coming 2012 rainy season and forward, and RID/Egat has thankfully already taken the first step by lowering the reservoir water volumes to 57-58 % of the reservoir capacities before this rainy season. So far so good.

The next important step is to ensure that the reservoir water volumes from now until August 1 stay low, that is around the present level (by releasing the incoming flows in an appropriate manner). The volume on August 1 should not exceed 8000 MCM (60 %) in Bhumipol reservoir and 5,500 MCM (57 %) in Sirikit reservoir. This will ensure an available flood control volume of 5500+4000=9500 MCM on August 1, which is appropriate to reduce the risk of excessive dam spillover, even in case of high rainfalls in August-October like last year. In case of a dry year the presently available water volumes are sufficient to sustain basic irrigation and hydropower requirements troughout the year.

Last year the available flood control volume on May 1 was 7300+4700=12000 MCM, but on August 1 only 5000+1700=6700 MCM. The mistakes made last year, by allowing the reservoir water levels increase fast during the 3-month period May-July, should not be repeated.

[ResX]

Dam management 2012

Last year Bhumipol and Sirikit dams became full by the end of September, and the resulting large uncontrolled spillovers added to the flood peak creating havoc in Nakhon Sawan and many other areas along the Chao Phraya river. This calls for improved dam management in the coming 2012 rainy season and forward, and RID/Egat has thankfully already taken the first step by lowering the reservoir water volumes to 57-58 % of the reservoir capacities before this rainy season. So far so good.

The next important step is to ensure that the reservoir water volumes from now until August 1 stay low, that is around the present level (by releasing the incoming flows in an appropriate manner). The volume on August 1 should not exceed 8000 MCM (60 %) in Bhumipol reservoir and 5,500 MCM (57 %) in Sirikit reservoir. This will ensure an available flood control volume of 5500+4000=9500 MCM on August 1, which is appropriate to reduce the risk of excessive dam spillover, even in case of high rainfalls in August-October like last year. In case of a dry year the presently available water volumes are sufficient to sustain basic irrigation and hydropower requirements troughout the year.

Last year the available flood control volume on May 1 was 7300+4700=12000 MCM, but on August 1 only 5000+1700=6700 MCM. The mistakes made last year, by allowing the reservoir water levels increase fast during the 3-month period May-July, should not be repeated.

Good

Dam management 2012

Last year Bhumipol and Sirikit dams became full by the end of September, and the resulting large uncontrolled spillovers added to the flood peak creating havoc in Nakhon Sawan and many other areas along the Chao Phraya river. This calls for improved dam management in the coming 2012 rainy season and forward, and RID/Egat has thankfully already taken the first step by lowering the reservoir water volumes to 57-58 % of the reservoir capacities before this rainy season. So far so good.

The next important step is to ensure that the reservoir water volumes from now until August 1 stay low, that is around the present level (by releasing the incoming flows in an appropriate manner). The volume on August 1 should not exceed 8000 MCM (60 %) in Bhumipol reservoir and 5,500 MCM (57 %) in Sirikit reservoir. This will ensure an available flood control volume of 5500+4000=9500 MCM on August 1, which is appropriate to reduce the risk of excessive dam spillover, even in case of high rainfalls in August-October like last year. In case of a dry year the presently available water volumes are sufficient to sustain basic irrigation and hydropower requirements troughout the year.

Last year the available flood control volume on May 1 was 7300+4700=12000 MCM, but on August 1 only 5000+1700=6700 MCM. The mistakes made last year, by allowing the reservoir water levels increase fast during the 3-month period May-July, should not be repeated.

Good work steenasger. I think you have something to do with dams operations in Thailand. Your plan is pretty good. It can reduce flood risk and size significantly.

Let me share my opinion to further improve dams operations in Thailand. There are two more things that the authorities in Thailand has to look critically. Firstly, when the flood cannot be avoided then they have to know how to cut down its peak flow- This part with due respect, I think was missing during the last year's flood control operationn. Nobody can be sure he can always beat the future flood. What he has to know for sure is about how to minimize the peak flood flow.

Secondly, please look critically about the existing designs for flood control stuctures in particular for Bhumibol and Sirkit dams. These two dams are the most critical dams in Thailands for water management. As far as I know the dams were designed way back to the 50's. They may be able to serve the purpose for the 50's. But today, things have changed a lot.

Bhumibol and Sirkit dams shall not be exposed to a scenario that they have to make decisions under "duress".

Edited April 15, 2012 by ResX

[steenasger]

Dam management 2012

Last year Bhumipol and Sirikit dams became full by the end of September, and the resulting large uncontrolled spillovers added to the flood peak creating havoc in Nakhon Sawan and many other areas along the Chao Phraya river. This calls for improved dam management in the coming 2012 rainy season and forward, and RID/Egat has thankfully already taken the first step by lowering the reservoir water volumes to 57-58 % of the reservoir capacities before this rainy season. So far so good.

The next important step is to ensure that the reservoir water volumes from now until August 1 stay low, that is around the present level (by releasing the incoming flows in an appropriate manner). The volume on August 1 should not exceed 8000 MCM (60 %) in Bhumipol reservoir and 5,500 MCM (57 %) in Sirikit reservoir. This will ensure an available flood control volume of 5500+4000=9500 MCM on August 1, which is appropriate to reduce the risk of excessive dam spillover, even in case of high rainfalls in August-October like last year. In case of a dry year the presently available water volumes are sufficient to sustain basic irrigation and hydropower requirements troughout the year.

Last year the available flood control volume on May 1 was 7300+4700=12000 MCM, but on August 1 only 5000+1700=6700 MCM. The mistakes made last year, by allowing the reservoir water levels increase fast during the 3-month period May-July, should not be repeated.

Good

Dam management 2012

Last year Bhumipol and Sirikit dams became full by the end of September, and the resulting large uncontrolled spillovers added to the flood peak creating havoc in Nakhon Sawan and many other areas along the Chao Phraya river. This calls for improved dam management in the coming 2012 rainy season and forward, and RID/Egat has thankfully already taken the first step by lowering the reservoir water volumes to 57-58 % of the reservoir capacities before this rainy season. So far so good.

The next important step is to ensure that the reservoir water volumes from now until August 1 stay low, that is around the present level (by releasing the incoming flows in an appropriate manner). The volume on August 1 should not exceed 8000 MCM (60 %) in Bhumipol reservoir and 5,500 MCM (57 %) in Sirikit reservoir. This will ensure an available flood control volume of 5500+4000=9500 MCM on August 1, which is appropriate to reduce the risk of excessive dam spillover, even in case of high rainfalls in August-October like last year. In case of a dry year the presently available water volumes are sufficient to sustain basic irrigation and hydropower requirements troughout the year.

Last year the available flood control volume on May 1 was 7300+4700=12000 MCM, but on August 1 only 5000+1700=6700 MCM. The mistakes made last year, by allowing the reservoir water levels increase fast during the 3-month period May-July, should not be repeated.

Good work steenasger. I think you have something to do with dams operations in Thailand. Your plan is pretty good. It can reduce flood risk and size significantly.

Let me share my opinion to further improve dams operations in Thailand. There are two more things that the authorities in Thailand has to look critically. Firstly, when the flood cannot be avoided then they have to know how to cut down its peak flow- This part with due respect, I think was missing during the last year's flood control operationn. Nobody can be sure he can always beat the future flood. What he has to know for sure is about how to minimize the peak flood flow.

Secondly, please look critically about the existing designs for flood control stuctures in particular for Bhumibol and Sirkit dams. These two dams are the most critical dams in Thailands for water management. As far as I know the dams were designed way back to the 50's. They may be able to serve the purpose for the 50's. But today, things have changed a lot.

Bhumibol and Sirkit dams shall not be exposed to a scenario that they have to make decisions under "duress".

Thanks to ResX. I am not an dam operator, but I was a flood victim in Nakhon Sawan last year and follow the preparations for this year. And I have some experience from previous work on flood management in Thailand.

Your two proposed topics, flood peak reduction during flood times and flood structure design, are important. Regarding flood peak reduction, the most important is to ensure enough flood control volume in the dams before the rain storms, but there are of course other issues to be considered as well, such as coordination of the releases from the two dams, etc.

[ResX]

Dam management 2012

Last year Bhumipol and Sirikit dams became full by the end of September, and the resulting large uncontrolled spillovers added to the flood peak creating havoc in Nakhon Sawan and many other areas along the Chao Phraya river. This calls for improved dam management in the coming 2012 rainy season and forward, and RID/Egat has thankfully already taken the first step by lowering the reservoir water volumes to 57-58 % of the reservoir capacities before this rainy season. So far so good.

The next important step is to ensure that the reservoir water volumes from now until August 1 stay low, that is around the present level (by releasing the incoming flows in an appropriate manner). The volume on August 1 should not exceed 8000 MCM (60 %) in Bhumipol reservoir and 5,500 MCM (57 %) in Sirikit reservoir. This will ensure an available flood control volume of 5500+4000=9500 MCM on August 1, which is appropriate to reduce the risk of excessive dam spillover, even in case of high rainfalls in August-October like last year. In case of a dry year the presently available water volumes are sufficient to sustain basic irrigation and hydropower requirements troughout the year.

Last year the available flood control volume on May 1 was 7300+4700=12000 MCM, but on August 1 only 5000+1700=6700 MCM. The mistakes made last year, by allowing the reservoir water levels increase fast during the 3-month period May-July, should not be repeated.

Good

Dam management 2012

Last year Bhumipol and Sirikit dams became full by the end of September, and the resulting large uncontrolled spillovers added to the flood peak creating havoc in Nakhon Sawan and many other areas along the Chao Phraya river. This calls for improved dam management in the coming 2012 rainy season and forward, and RID/Egat has thankfully already taken the first step by lowering the reservoir water volumes to 57-58 % of the reservoir capacities before this rainy season. So far so good.

The next important step is to ensure that the reservoir water volumes from now until August 1 stay low, that is around the present level (by releasing the incoming flows in an appropriate manner). The volume on August 1 should not exceed 8000 MCM (60 %) in Bhumipol reservoir and 5,500 MCM (57 %) in Sirikit reservoir. This will ensure an available flood control volume of 5500+4000=9500 MCM on August 1, which is appropriate to reduce the risk of excessive dam spillover, even in case of high rainfalls in August-October like last year. In case of a dry year the presently available water volumes are sufficient to sustain basic irrigation and hydropower requirements troughout the year.

Last year the available flood control volume on May 1 was 7300+4700=12000 MCM, but on August 1 only 5000+1700=6700 MCM. The mistakes made last year, by allowing the reservoir water levels increase fast during the 3-month period May-July, should not be repeated.

Good work steenasger. I think you have something to do with dams operations in Thailand. Your plan is pretty good. It can reduce flood risk and size significantly.

Let me share my opinion to further improve dams operations in Thailand. There are two more things that the authorities in Thailand has to look critically. Firstly, when the flood cannot be avoided then they have to know how to cut down its peak flow- This part with due respect, I think was missing during the last year's flood control operationn. Nobody can be sure he can always beat the future flood. What he has to know for sure is about how to minimize the peak flood flow.

Secondly, please look critically about the existing designs for flood control stuctures in particular for Bhumibol and Sirkit dams. These two dams are the most critical dams in Thailands for water management. As far as I know the dams were designed way back to the 50's. They may be able to serve the purpose for the 50's. But today, things have changed a lot.

Bhumibol and Sirkit dams shall not be exposed to a scenario that they have to make decisions under "duress".

but there are of course other issues to be considered as well, such as coordination of the releases from the two dams, etc.

That was what I meant regarding to reduce peak flood flow at times things are not going the way you expect. You can achieve it by coordinate the dams releases. Not limited to those two dams in the north. The dams at the downstreams have to be considered as well. The basic idea is "to hold" the waters that can be held and to "release" the waters that cannot be held. This is the reason why I pointed out to the designed of flood control structures especially for the Bhumibol & Sirkit dam.

I think you should know by now that Bhumibol and Sirkit dams are the "Key Success Factor" for flood control operation for the entire Chao Pharaya. If these two dams sucessfully can hold flood waters at least until Nov end then there could be flood or no flood at the dowstream. That depends on the intensity of loacalized rainfalls. Whatever might be the case you will not see the floods as big as near the size of the one that struck last year. But then if these two dams fail to hold flood waters during the critical period, then the dowstream will become unprotected at all. In this case the last year's flood might not be the biggest that you will see over the next 50 years.

[Gary A]

What is being done to remove the huge dam called Bangkok? How will they get back all the canals that were filled in and covered over for new building sites? Bangkok is indeed sinking and that means that huge pumps must be installed to pump the water into the sea. The existing canals must be dredged and cleaned and since the water level in some canals will be below sea level, the water must be pumped out.