Warnings for Mekong and Chao Phraya - Inundation

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INUNDATION
Warnings for Mekong and Chao Phraya
The Nation


Taken by a drone camera, this bird

Officials fear river could rise 3 metres as dam in China set to release huge amount of water

BANGKOK: -- THAI authorities have put people living along the Mekong River on high alert because a dam in Yunnan province in southern China needs to release a huge volume of water soon due to heavy rainfall upstream.

"If the discharge from China's Jinghong Dam reaches 8,000-9,000 cubic metres per second, the water level will increase by about three metres (within days)," Songklod Duanghaklang, director of the Chiang Rai Marine Office, said yesterday.

The office sent a letter to the Chiang Saen district chief warning that the dam would drain water from its reservoir from September 5-30.

The dam on the mainstream of the Mekong has the capacity to discharge up to 9,000 cubic metres per second. Its reservoir now contains 591-602 million cubic metres, the letter said.

When the level touches 8.5 metres, the Mekong will overflow in the Thai province of Chiang Rai.

"We are now working closely with the local weather bureau to monitor the water level and, when the need arises, issue timely alerts," he said.

The Irrigation Department, however, has reported that Jinghong dam is discharging 535 cubic meters of water per second downstream. As of Saturday, the water level at Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district, the first Thai district where the water would reach, was seven metres below the river bank, it said.

Other locations including Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan are 2.2, 3.7 and 4 metres below the river bank, it said.

The Mekong River Commission, a regional body for Mekong utilities, has issued no flood warnings from sites it monitors for water flow. The level of the Mekong in its stretch through Thailand should be stable for this week, the MRC's website says. The forecast level at Chiang Saen district today is 4.65m, which is far below the 11.8m flood level at the site, it said.

Meanwhile, flooding in the Chao Phraya basin is now at a critical stage.

Chatchai Promlert, director-general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, Tak, Nakhon Sawan and Phichit were now inundated.

"Flash floods have hit 25 villages of Chiang Rai," he said.

Flooding has affected more than 14,000 people in 28 provinces across the country since August 26. In less than two weeks, floods have caused 10 deaths. However, the worst is over in most provinces.

"Only five provinces are still under water," Chatchai said, referring to records in his hands.

Officials were now mobilising resources for rescue and relief operations. "Infrastructure is being restored and financial aid is being delivered to flood victims in line with the law," he said.

Victims can call 1784 round the clock for help from his department.

Locals in the Lower Chao Phraya River Basin are now bracing for possible floods, as run-off from the North will usually reach their hometowns around this time of the year.

"I've seen the water in my neighbouring canal rising up fast in recent days," said Bang-orn Kulsiri, a resident of Angthong.

This canal is a tributary of the Chao Phraya River, she said,

The National Disaster Warning Centre has also issued flash flood and landslide warnings for Prachin Buri, Chanthaburi and Trat.

"Floods and mudslides may strike on Sunday and Monday," it said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Warnings-for-Mekong-and-Chao-Phraya-30242755.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-08

[siampolee]

Officials fear river could rise 3 metres as dam in China set to release huge amount of water

BANGKOK: -- THAI authorities have put people living along the Mekong River on high alert because a dam in Yunnan province in southern China needs to release a huge volume of water soon due to heavy rainfall upstream.

Here in the quote above we clearly see the results of the interference of mankind in the lie of the land and its a subsequent results which are about to affect those who have already to a certain extent suffered from the impeding of a watercourse by virtue of less marine life and no doubt problems in the dry season due to a lack of water thus the navigation of boats and trade is affected too.

[doremifasol]

Oh gawd! Not again!!

"Mankind" you better stay away from my home, my trees and my plants!!!!!!

Edited September 8, 2014 by doremifasol

[MaxLee]

Officials fear river could rise 3 metres as dam in China set to release huge amount of water

BANGKOK: -- THAI authorities have put people living along the Mekong River on high alert because a dam in Yunnan province in southern China needs to release a huge volume of water soon due to heavy rainfall upstream.

Here in the quote above we clearly see the results of the interference of mankind in the lie of the land and its a subsequent results which are about to affect those who have already to a certain extent suffered from the impeding of a watercourse by virtue of less marine life and no doubt problems in the dry season due to a lack of water thus the navigation of boats and trade is affected too.

Yep, sounds to me like China is sh*****loading it's excess water into Thailand, only Thailand, and the rest doesn't need any additional explanation...

[GeorgeO]

Isn't it now time to deal with this issue once and for all?

As opposed to throwing large sums of money at the problem, which then simply disappears, or is frittered away on projects such as boats pushing the water out to sea (!!!), Thailand should seriously consider calling in experts from countries that have had to deal with major flooding problems, such as the Netherlands.

Surely anyone can see that if a full-scale flood prevention program is not put into place, these headlines will simply be repeated year after year...!!

[jaapfries]

Isn't it now time to deal with this issue once and for all?

As opposed to throwing large sums of money at the problem, which then simply disappears, or is frittered away on projects such as boats pushing the water out to sea (!!!), Thailand should seriously consider calling in experts from countries that have had to deal with major flooding problems, such as the Netherlands.

Surely anyone can see that if a full-scale flood prevention program is not put into place, these headlines will simply be repeated year after year...!!

You're so right, GeorgeO: this is a typical case of "A problem 1,000 Windmills could easily solve" and this would be a very 'green solution' as well.

Windmills have been around since the end of the 13th Century; maybe it's time to introduce them to Thailand (700 years later ?!?!).

[Robby nz]

Here with the situation on the Mekong we see what happens when rivers are dammed and the dam is full and water has to be released, this emergency release of water creates a far worse flood situation than ever existed before the dam was put in place.

We see the same thing happening on the Chao Phraya with dams that are now full having to release water.

This should be a lesson to those who advocate dams as a solution to the annual flooding that occurs, for these dams have the potential to make the flooding much worse.

[Robby nz]

Isn't it now time to deal with this issue once and for all?

As opposed to throwing large sums of money at the problem, which then simply disappears, or is frittered away on projects such as boats pushing the water out to sea (!!!), Thailand should seriously consider calling in experts from countries that have had to deal with major flooding problems, such as the Netherlands.

Surely anyone can see that if a full-scale flood prevention program is not put into place, these headlines will simply be repeated year after year...!!

I suspect it would be correct to say that the situation in the Netherlands is completely different from Thailand.

In the Netherlands the problem is that a lot of the land is reclaimed and is in fact under sea level while in Thailand the flood problem comes from heavy monsoon rains onto land above sea level.

The great problem here is that the natural flow of the rivers has been constrained and the natural flood plains have been built on with no thought as to where the water will go when the rains come.

Attempting to solve the problem by constraining the river farther with dams and dikes can never work and pumps must have somewhere to discharge their water and that can only be downstream, so pumping water out from one place is only moving the problem elsewhere.

[xgto1969x]

We didn't get any warning in Maesai!

[timewilltell]

Dams are absolutely an effective partial solution, it is the management of the water release that is the issue there. They are an essential tool in the box but only a part of the whole. The rivers and klongs need to be maintained and reclaimed where many have been reduced in width by unfettered construction. There needs to be effective and scientific investigation of any project that interferes with water run off or existing water courses and a panel set up to investigate and provide solutions for the water courses already affected and solutions enacted.

That together with work to maintain and improve the banks of these in strategic locations.

It all demands a collective and intelligent effort of course and a determination to make things worse without the budget diverted from its course!

Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[parmo2]

There have always been floods and there always will be especially during monsoon season.

OTHER countries are affected by this not only thailand, the worst affected will by Vietnam where the mouth of the mekong is located.

Funny how someone can say things about "mankind" interfering with nature, when they are sending posts on the Internet on a computer or phone using electricity maybe generated maybe from dams too.

[halloween]

Here with the situation on the Mekong we see what happens when rivers are dammed and the dam is full and water has to be released, this emergency release of water creates a far worse flood situation than ever existed before the dam was put in place.

We see the same thing happening on the Chao Phraya with dams that are now full having to release water.

This should be a lesson to those who advocate dams as a solution to the annual flooding that occurs, for these dams have the potential to make the flooding much worse.

Why would a dam release water at a higher rate than the expected upstream river flow? As long as the dam release is less than the peak upstream flow it has reduced the level of flooding, though it may well increase the duration.

BTW the dam in question is also producing electricity @1750Mw, some of which is sold to Thailand, at a time when much vaunted solar panels are producing close to SFA.

Edited September 8, 2014 by halloween

[risky11]

China is in dire need of fresh water. Instead of releasing an over abundance of fresh water, why not figure out a why to KEEP that water for productive use of it's own people? Otherwise, this is a regional situation that requires a regional solution.

[halloween]

Here with the situation on the Mekong we see what happens when rivers are dammed and the dam is full and water has to be released, this emergency release of water creates a far worse flood situation than ever existed before the dam was put in place.

We see the same thing happening on the Chao Phraya with dams that are now full having to release water.

This should be a lesson to those who advocate dams as a solution to the annual flooding that occurs, for these dams have the potential to make the flooding much worse.

Why would a dam release water at a higher rate than the expected upstream river flow? As long as the dam release is less than the peak upstream flow it has reduced the level of flooding, though it may well increase the duration.

BTW the dam in question is also producing electricity @1750Mw, some of which is sold to Thailand, at a time when much vaunted solar panels are producing close to SFA.

My solar panels are producing more than enough to be off grid, so no need for the Chinese dams, Thai dams, Laos dams, etc. Actually, I don't give a dam.

Tell me the same thing in 12 hours time.

[Pundi6446]

Every year, same ol, same ol, news, it's too much rain up North and it flows down to BKK, which is sinking several centimeters every year.

[SOTIRIOS]

.....see : "Hundreds of Billions of Baht ............allocated ............for flood-prevention scheme ........... by previous government"......

....now....see: "Over 85% of Rice unaccounted for".................

...get the picture....???

[jvs]

If you really look at this closely this problem can not be solved in Thailand.

China is the one doing this and whoever is downstream is in trouble.

The river level going up 3 meters in a day?There are no canals or rivers who can handle this amount of water.

I feel sorry for the poor people who will have to deal with this(again).

[nakhonandy]

Isn't it now time to deal with this issue once and for all?

As opposed to throwing large sums of money at the problem, which then simply disappears, or is frittered away on projects such as boats pushing the water out to sea (!!!), Thailand should seriously consider calling in experts from countries that have had to deal with major flooding problems, such as the Netherlands.

Surely anyone can see that if a full-scale flood prevention program is not put into place, these headlines will simply be repeated year after year...!!

Actually The Netherlands has thrown tons of money at the problem and they even still get floods, especially in the south!

Plus the Netherlands were invited, offered solutions and the usual happened with the money allocated.

I agree with your point though, if this is not dealt with it will just repeat itself every heavy rain year!

[pookiki]

To think that humanity can completely control the forces of nature is engaging in fantasy. In the US, the Army Corps of Engineers as worked for years on flood mitigation projects on major waterways. But when the forces of nature converge, all the planning and mitigation will not keep floods from occurring.

In Thailand, one issue that appears to have been overlooked in previous threads is deforestation. Floods will always occur. The best possible solutions for mitigation involve using a mufti-faceted approach to include dams, reforestation, better infrastructure, and implementing sound building codes in flood prone areas -- to name a few.

[StefanBBK]

Is it just me, or are their numbers off again? 90 00 per second times 60 times 60 times 24 ? The reservoir would be empty in a day, no?

[halloween]

If you really look at this closely this problem can not be solved in Thailand.

China is the one doing this and whoever is downstream is in trouble.

The river level going up 3 meters in a day?There are no canals or rivers who can handle this amount of water.

I feel sorry for the poor people who will have to deal with this(again).

I suggest you go back and read the OP again. Start with "If the discharge from China's Jinghong Dam reaches 8,000-9,000 cubic metres per second, the water level will increase by about three metres (within days)....." My bolds for emphasis.

You might also like "As of Saturday, the water level at Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district, the first Thai district where the water would reach, was seven metres below the river bank, it said.

Other locations including Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan are 2.2, 3.7 and 4 metres below the river bank, it said."

So except for Nong Khai there wouldn't be much effect at all, and not much there IF the river happens to be wider at that point.

[halloween]

Is it just me, or are their numbers off again? 90 00 per second times 60 times 60 times 24 ? The reservoir would be empty in a day, no?

Perhaps there might be water flowing INTO the dam as well as out.

[halloween]

To think that humanity can completely control the forces of nature is engaging in fantasy. In the US, the Army Corps of Engineers as worked for years on flood mitigation projects on major waterways. But when the forces of nature converge, all the planning and mitigation will not keep floods from occurring.

In Thailand, one issue that appears to have been overlooked in previous threads is deforestation. Floods will always occur. The best possible solutions for mitigation involve using a mufti-faceted approach to include dams, reforestation, better infrastructure, and implementing sound building codes in flood prone areas -- to name a few.

Do you not understand the meaning of "mitigation"? As opposed to "prevention"?

Edited September 8, 2014 by halloween

[NativeSon360]

Isn't it now time to deal with this issue once and for all?

As opposed to throwing large sums of money at the problem, which then simply disappears, or is frittered away on projects such as boats pushing the water out to sea (!!!), Thailand should seriously consider calling in experts from countries that have had to deal with major flooding problems, such as the Netherlands.

Surely anyone can see that if a full-scale flood prevention program is not put into place, these headlines will simply be repeated year after year...!!

Year AfterYear

[datcook]

It would be interesting to know what the cost of these floods are to Thailand in regard to loss of crops, loss of homes, loss of life etc., against installing a adequate drainage system vented to the ocean or purpose built dams. From what I have observed the drainage system either does not exist or is grossly inadequate

[wandasloan]

I'm unclear. Is this Yingluck's fault, or Thaksin?

It would be interesting to know what the cost of these floods are to Thailand in regard to loss of crops, loss of homes, loss of life etc., against installing a adequate drainage system vented to the ocean or purpose built dams. From what I have observed the drainage system either does not exist or is grossly inadequate

Why not find out then? There are figures printed and updated all the time, micro and macro - local and right on up to world bodies. Some figures were published today. It's only a matter of a bit of digging with browser and search engines.

The current estimated cost of an "adequate drainage system" for Thailand is 2.6 trillion baht, updated since Yingluck's estimate, I presume for extra safety like "service charges", "oversight" and other management fees.

.

Edited September 8, 2014 by wandasloan

[pookiki]

To think that humanity can completely control the forces of nature is engaging in fantasy. In the US, the Army Corps of Engineers as worked for years on flood mitigation projects on major waterways. But when the forces of nature converge, all the planning and mitigation will not keep floods from occurring.

In Thailand, one issue that appears to have been overlooked in previous threads is deforestation. Floods will always occur. The best possible solutions for mitigation involve using a mufti-faceted approach to include dams, reforestation, better infrastructure, and implementing sound building codes in flood prone areas -- to name a few.

Do you not understand the meaning of "mitigation"? As opposed to "prevention"?

I understand the difference. What's your point? If you have something worthwhile to contribute, please write it.

[halloween]

To think that humanity can completely control the forces of nature is engaging in fantasy. In the US, the Army Corps of Engineers as worked for years on flood mitigation projects on major waterways. But when the forces of nature converge, all the planning and mitigation will not keep floods from occurring.

In Thailand, one issue that appears to have been overlooked in previous threads is deforestation. Floods will always occur. The best possible solutions for mitigation involve using a mufti-faceted approach to include dams, reforestation, better infrastructure, and implementing sound building codes in flood prone areas -- to name a few.

Do you not understand the meaning of "mitigation"? As opposed to "prevention"?

I understand the difference. What's your point? If you have something worthwhile to contribute, please write it.

My point is that flood mitigation is a worthwhile effort not fantasy; that the aim is not prevention but damage reduction. when a flood does occur, too many whine about all the money wasted on mitigation projects not realising how much worse it would have been without them.

[starkey_rich]

Officials fear river could rise 3 metres as dam in China set to release huge amount of water

BANGKOK: -- THAI authorities have put people living along the Mekong River on high alert because a dam in Yunnan province in southern China needs to release a huge volume of water soon due to heavy rainfall upstream.

Here in the quote above we clearly see the results of the interference of mankind in the lie of the land and its a subsequent results which are about to affect those who have already to a certain extent suffered from the impeding of a watercourse by virtue of less marine life and no doubt problems in the dry season due to a lack of water thus the navigation of boats and trade is affected too.

Yep, sounds to me like China is sh*****loading it's excess water into Thailand, only Thailand, and the rest doesn't need any additional explanation...

And I dread to think of what kind of c--p that Chinese water contains.

[whiteman]

Down were I live it has not flooded for over 30 years so this flooding to come from up north and BANGKOK will raise the land pricers here when the wealthy Bangkokiyans swarm down here to buy up the land like the last floods 4 years ago. Panya Resort is for me.