Water at Vajiralongkorn dam, Srinakarin dam drops to critical levels

[webfact]

Water at Vajiralongkorn, Srinakarin drops to critical levels



BANGKOK: -- Water at Vajiralongkorn and Srinakarin dams has dropped to critical levels prompting concern that rice, vegetable, fruit, shrimp and fish farms in the Mae Klong river basin might not have insufficient water supply during the upcoming dry season.

Authorities said water level in Srinakarin dam dropped to just 30% of the storing capacity, while Vajiralongkorn dam also fell to 40% of capacity, the lowest levels in 50 years.

The remaining water will be used for electricity generating, farming, and consumption during the dry season which is expected to continue to the rainy season next year.

The most critical period of water shortage is expected to begin in February next year and vast areas in will be affected.

Affected areas are Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Samut Songkram, Samut Sakhon, Nakhon Pathom, Suphanburi, and Phetburi.

Authorities are now going to meet farmers and advising them to store rain water for use in place of the irrigation canals which get water from dams as authorities have to allocate water strictly.

The cabinet has earlier advised farmers in the Chao Phraya and Mae Klong river basins to stop second crop growing due to insufficient water supply and also reject compensation if farmers fail to heed its advice.

The government also ordered the suspension of water supply through the existing irrigation canals to farmers in the two river basins for six months, beginning next month until May next year.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/water-vajiralongkorn-srinakarin-drops-critical-levels/


-- Thai PBS 2014-10-16

[worgeordie]

This is not good news,I hope the Government has a plan,a plan of

action,and does not wait until the taps run dry before trying to fix

the problem,as usually happens.

They also must put the needs of households and factories before

that of the farmers.who have been told not to grow crops,due to the

coming water shortage,but will they listen,no,then they will cry

to the government the crops are dead and demand compensation!

regards Worgeordie

[bikerider21]

This is not good news,I hope the Government has a plan,a plan of

action,and does not wait until the taps run dry before trying to fix

the problem,as usually happens.

They also must put the needs of households and factories before

that of the farmers.who have been told not to grow crops,due to the

coming water shortage,but will they listen,no,then they will cry

to the government the crops are dead and demand compensation!

regards Worgeordie

I don't understand why educated highly paid officials wait until the sylo is empty before raising the alarm. Surely their job is to control the supply and demand. What do they do? Too much beaurocracy or too many emails to answer.

[Ulic]

So with the double negative I guess there are no worries.

[Robby nz]

This is not good news,I hope the Government has a plan,a plan of

action,and does not wait until the taps run dry before trying to fix

the problem,as usually happens.

They also must put the needs of households and factories before

that of the farmers.who have been told not to grow crops,due to the

coming water shortage,but will they listen,no,then they will cry

to the government the crops are dead and demand compensation!

regards Worgeordie

I don't understand why educated highly paid officials wait until the sylo is empty before raising the alarm. Surely their job is to control the supply and demand. What do they do? Too much beaurocracy or too many emails to answer.

There is no way any officials or Govt can do anything if there is no rain in the right place to fill the dams and that has been what has happened in this case.

It would be great if there was some way to divert water from the flood areas to where it could fill the dams but this would be impossible as water doesn't run uphill at all, let alone for hundreds of KM's

Even if it were possible to pump the volume of water needed it would use more power than the dams could produce.

[loong]

"The remaining water will be used for electricity generating, farming, and consumption during the dry season which is expected to continue to the rainy season next year."

Yes, I think it is fair to expect that the dry season will continue until the rainy season. It happens every year!

[Frank James]

So, will we still see vast amounts of water wasted during the Songkrans festival?

[ratcatcher]

So, will we still see vast amounts of water wasted during the Songkrans festival?

Assuming they're lucky enough to have sufficient to waste Frank.

[allan michaud]

How can this be the case, surely the wet season just ended?

[taff33]

Green paint for the greens on the golf course,that's a start.

[MJP]

How can this be the case, surely the wet season just ended?

Wet season wasn't wet enough.

[marios]

The Chaophraya is still running strong from what I know. It needs organization and meticulous preparation but areas near the big rivers can be supplied to a certain extent. Mobile water purification systems, similar to that used for desalination can be setup along the banks and connect the purified water to the water supply network. These units can be of the modular type which can be easy to install. I cannot imagine water shortages when you have a vast supply of water like the the major rivers of Thailand. As I said it is a mater of getting one's act together.

This is my opinion.

I come from a small country, Cyprus, without rivers, with a major water problem due to insufficient rain and we have solved it by means of desalination plants in order to augment the dams. Really, I cannot see how the people along the rivers may have a water shortage problem as far as domestic use is concerned. For irrigation maybe there is a problem but for household use I cannot see an insurmountable problem.

[masuk]

How can this be the case, surely the wet season just ended?

Well, for starters, is there a public education scheme going to advise people to save water?

There are dripping showers and taps all over Chiang Mai, wasting a lot of drinking-grade water. Forget about Song Krahn - it's a drop in the ocean/moat and it's another 6 months off yet.