Giday

I'm new to living rural like and water is drying up. There is a damp rice field close and I'd like to tap (somehow) for drinking water purposes.

As I said I've no experience so I'd like to ask for suggestions.

I'm in Om-koi (Chiangmai) so bringing in heavy machinery or concrete rings is out of the possibilities.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Ever thought about how much fertilizers and herbicides went down into the rice field ? How would you filter out all the pesticides that have collected in the ground water over the many years ? Are you planning to poison yourself ?

We in the Daeng Raek area have the same situation . .. there is always water underneath the rice field, even after 5 dry months, but I would never think of tapping it for drinking & consuming purposes, only for crop irrigation.

I buy AURA by the liter bottles when we are in the town . . . . one of the best bottled waters available in Thailand.

Saves us to pay electricity for a deep water well pump plus the weekly maintenance in cleaning the pump filters. Plus your pumps will clog on you faster than you can count to five. There will be nobody who will do maintenance on pumps. Thais are used to use them until they stop working. I bet all those costs are about equally to buying bottled drinking .water.

Ever thought about how much fertilizers and herbicides went down into the rice field ? How would you filter out all the pesticides that have collected in the ground water over the many years ? Are you planning to poison yourself ?

We in the Daeng Raek area have the same situation . .. there is always water underneath the rice field, even after 5 dry months, but I would never think of tapping it for drinking & consuming purposes, only for crop irrigation.

I buy AURA by the liter bottles when we are in the town . . . . one of the best bottled waters available in Thailand.

Saves us to pay electricity for a deep water well pump plus the weekly maintenance in cleaning the pump filters. Plus your pumps will clog on you faster than you can count to five. There will be nobody who will do maintenance on pumps. Thais are used to use them until they stop working. I bet all those costs are about equally to buying bottled drinking .water.

Thanks

I'm on top of one of the highest mountains, in Om-koi ( 7 hours drive to Chiangmai City)

I thought about the issue of fertilizers and herbicides but I'm on top here, it can only be the residue left in this lot.

Anyway I'd also like to catch the water to water fruit trees and livestock.

At present we drink the rain water up here ( although not tested) it tastes fine.( some times it's worth it)

Thanks for reply though

rainwater is good for drinking after it has settled inside clay pots. We refill our rainwater from large concrete containers to smaller clay pots before drinking it. You can also connect a small pump to the rainwater kegs and let some water run through ozone treatment filters, before drinking it. Should be pretty alright, but make sure no animals get to the rainwater sources due to the risk of tapeworm and other parasites. Rainwater carries most of our family members over 5 months of dry period until the reserves run empty at last.

If you are living near the mountaintop, then maybe you can neglect the issue with pesticides runoff in your lots. However I would not expect too much water left after a few dry months. If you can find and tap an underground rock cystern / reservoir that would be big luck, however. But I would rather expect some fountains at the base of the mountain instead of higher up. In Thailand artesian pressure of fountains in brimstone surroundings is rare. I don't know your area and I think you should be looking at what nearby locals did and if they have tapped wells or anything that supplies them with water high up there.

There will but always remain the issues with pumps. Without proper maintenance they will eventually fail. Thai people are masters in neglect and improvisation of technical machinery, i sadly had to find out at some point of living here.

A good objective quote. "Thai people are masters in neglect and improvisation of technical machinery, I sadly had to find out at some point of living here."

As have most of us. And we are still here. Their patience and overall good nature is a pleasure to be around.

(Western) Disasters become inconveniences, something patience will eventually overcome.(With grace and a smile)

My SiL recently commented on the little bit of steel stolen from near the front gate, "They must have needed it more than us". My BiL, "never even an egg in the past". Both wishing a good future to their lost possession and possessor.

Apologies for the off topic.

Regards.