Households and businesses in Bangkok told to brace for brackish tap water

[webfact]

Bangkokians told to brace for brackish tap water if there are no rains in 30 days



BANGKOK: -- Households and businesses in Bangkok were told to brace for brackish water from their water taps if there are not enough rains in the next 30 days to replenish water at major reservoirs which is the main source of water to push push back the invasion of sea water.

Mr Thanasak Wattanathana, acting governor of Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, disclosed Wednesday that the MWA had already cut the tap water production at Bangkhan plant from a normal 3.9 million cubic metres per day to 3.6 million cubic metres/day.

The cutback, he said, has resulted to weakening of water pressure periodically.

The reduction of the amount of water released into the Chao Phraya river from major dams has allowed seawater to invade deeper inland hence tap water has become salty, said Mr Thanasak.

He pleaded with water consumers, be they househouds, businesses or industries not to use water wastefully. He also asked them to store water for use in case there is water shortage but he asked the public not to be panic by assuring there would be enough for use in Bangkok.

Meanwhile Mr Chatchai Promlert, director-general of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, disclosed that drought has already affected about 38,000 villages in 40 provinces. However, he said that the drought situation had eased in 19 provinces.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/bangkokians-told-to-brace-for-brackish-tap-water-if-there-are-no-rains-in-30-days

-- Thai PBS 2015-06-25

[FireMedic]

Didn't they just say a couple of days ago this wasn't gonna happen? Or there was no salt in the water?

[halloween]

Didn't they just say a couple of days ago this wasn't gonna happen? Or there was no salt in the water?

There were several reports over the last few days of increasing salinity at the water treatment plant intake. IIRC the last was that the salt could not yet be detected by taste.

[ezzra]

Thailand should conceder investing in desalination of sea water plants, yes, they're very expensive

to set up and they will pay for them selves in the long run, however, Thailand is known for a short

time solutions for most of it's problems while throwing piles of monies ate a farmers and industries

year after year with no long time results...

this drought have been happening many time over and will happened over and over again, and

only new thinking and new investments will save the day for generations to come...

[EricBerg]

"He also asked them to store water for use in case there is water shortage but he asked the public not to be panic by assuring there would be enough for use in Bangkok."

Panic, but don't panic. Why didn't he just shut up? The rains will come, problem solved.

[halloween]

Thailand should conceder investing in desalination of sea water plants, yes, they're very expensive

to set up and they will pay for them selves in the long run, however, Thailand is known for a short

time solutions for most of it's problems while throwing piles of monies ate a farmers and industries

year after year with no long time results...

this drought have been happening many time over and will happened over and over again, and

only new thinking and new investments will save the day for generations to come...

google "queensland desalination not used" and go to The Australian article. Direct link won't work, sorry. It will tell you of enormous waste of not one but 4 desalination plants costing billions and sitting idle for years. This is in GoldCoast, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, all much drier climates than here. Sydney residents pay $100 each per year for a plant not used since 2012.

[halloween]

If desalinating sea water is such a good idea, let's look at the unintended consequences. It is a relatively expensive process (compared to "free" river water) so the people will have to pay the cost of the water they use, which puts a value on water, if only when it is in short supply. But if Bangkokians have to pay for their water instead of taking free river water, why shouldn't other users of river water not have to pay for their usage?

Even if it was only a couple of baht per kilolitre, it would make rice farming unviable. But when the rice farmers can't afford water and stop pumping, the desalination plant won't be required, as there will ample in the river system.

You don't need to be a genius to get to the obvious. If you stop rice farming when water is insufficient, there is no need to build a desalination plant.

[rametindallas]

Thailand should conceder investing in desalination of sea water plants, yes, they're very expensive

to set up and they will pay for them selves in the long run, however, Thailand is known for a short

time solutions for most of it's problems while throwing piles of monies ate a farmers and industries

year after year with no long time results...

this drought have been happening many time over and will happened over and over again, and

only new thinking and new investments will save the day for generations to come...

San Diego CA is spending more than a billion US dollars on a desalination plant to supply fresh water to 1.3 million inhabitants (nearly 25,000 Baht per person). Bangkok has more than 8.5 million residents and the capacity would need to be 6 and a half times greater and the cost would be more than 10 times greater because of graft and corruption. During the wet, normal years, when the plants aren't needed, they, almost certainly, would not be maintained properly and then wouldn't work during the next drought.

A better solution would be to suspend water intensive farming and be ready to switch, temporarily, to other crops during these predictable El Nino years. Of course, this would take forward thinking by whatever government was in power and even forward thinking would be perverted by the Feudal Lords who control the Provinces outside of Bangkok. Dry spells don't often happen in the central plains that feed the Chao Praya River so, IMO, it would be a waste of money to build seldom used, expensive desalination plants that would only be needed every ten years and then, only if the dams hadn't been managed properly. Thailand usually has lots of rain and there are many dams; they just aren't managed with future forecasts in mind. To my thinking it is more an administration failure than a weather failure. El Ninos are predicted years in advance. Typhoons, like the ones responsible for the extra rain in 2011, are not predictable and flood protection should be a higher priority. Floods far outnumber droughts and cause much more economic losses.

.

Edited June 25, 2015 by rametindallas

[robblok]

If desalinating sea water is such a good idea, let's look at the unintended consequences. It is a relatively expensive process (compared to "free" river water) so the people will have to pay the cost of the water they use, which puts a value on water, if only when it is in short supply. But if Bangkokians have to pay for their water instead of taking free river water, why shouldn't other users of river water not have to pay for their usage?

Even if it was only a couple of baht per kilolitre, it would make rice farming unviable. But when the rice farmers can't afford water and stop pumping, the desalination plant won't be required, as there will ample in the river system.

You don't need to be a genius to get to the obvious. If you stop rice farming when water is insufficient, there is no need to build a desalination plant.

Correct there is no reason why farmers should have more rights to water as other people. Normally it is not a problem but in times of drought farmers should not keep taking water all the time.

Pro farmers will come to argue this but why should others have to pay for water that farmers get free and use far more of. That is just not fair and others should not suffer because of farmers needs. Everyone should have a fair share of water not farmers 100's of times more as normal people.

[bamnutsak]

Correct there is no reason why farmers should have more rights to water as other people. Normally it is not a problem but in times of drought farmers should not keep taking water all the time.

CP might disagree with you?

Assume you are including livestock in your "farmers" category? I think the water usage for raising livestock is significantly higher than for rice, on a per Kg ratio.

[halloween]

Correct there is no reason why farmers should have more rights to water as other people. Normally it is not a problem but in times of drought farmers should not keep taking water all the time.

CP might disagree with you?

Assume you are including livestock in your "farmers" category? I think the water usage for raising livestock is significantly higher than for rice, on a per Kg ratio.

Farming is a business, whether done by CP or a village farmer. Businesses make decisions from the known variables, and knowing that in a drought their water usage may be restricted is just another variable to be considered.

BTW livestock farming is usually dependent on rainfall, not irrigation. Not a major player in Thailand.

[Robby nz]

Oh my god I hope it doesn't effect the paint when they are washing their cars.

Water use restrictions should be placed on water use in BKK and other cities and towns immediately if not sooner to prevent the gross waste of valuable water that happens now,

In spite of the negativity posted desalination is the way to go it is working in California, Israel and many other places including Saudi Arabia which gets 70% of its fresh water from desalination. These plants also produce electric power.

Farmers had a traditional use of the river water long before the cities grew to the stage they were sucking the water out from under the farmers, they as the food producers must have priority.

Those who know nothing about farming keep parroting the same things, farmers should grow something else, they shouldn't plant crops. When you learn something about these non-options then post.

As long as the city has water the farmers can starve as far as they are concerned.

[halloween]

Oh my god I hope it doesn't effect the paint when they are washing their cars.

Water use restrictions should be placed on water use in BKK and other cities and towns immediately if not sooner to prevent the gross waste of valuable water that happens now,

In spite of the negativity posted desalination is the way to go it is working in California, Israel and many other places including Saudi Arabia which gets 70% of its fresh water from desalination. These plants also produce electric power.

Farmers had a traditional use of the river water long before the cities grew to the stage they were sucking the water out from under the farmers, they as the food producers must have priority.

Those who know nothing about farming keep parroting the same things, farmers should grow something else, they shouldn't plant crops. When you learn something about these non-options then post.

As long as the city has water the farmers can starve as far as they are concerned.

BKK is NOT in a desert, and how you think that desalination plants PRODUCE electricity is beyond me. The 33kkV motors running the RO plant that I worked on seemed to be sucking it up pretty well.

Yes, people in BKK need to stop wasting water washing cars. They also need to drink, and bathe, and wash their clothes. At a time where there is a rice glut, and profits are minimal from growing it, farmers do NOT have the right to thousands of times the consumption of city dwellers.

[robblok]

Correct there is no reason why farmers should have more rights to water as other people. Normally it is not a problem but in times of drought farmers should not keep taking water all the time.

CP might disagree with you?

Assume you are including livestock in your "farmers" category? I think the water usage for raising livestock is significantly higher than for rice, on a per Kg ratio.

Of course, everyone has equal rights to water. So normal people before businesses and farmers. The last to be hit should be normal people as they use least of the water in comparison. Its crazy if others can use it to make money and let the normal people pay for it.

[robblok]

Oh my god I hope it doesn't effect the paint when they are washing their cars.

Water use restrictions should be placed on water use in BKK and other cities and towns immediately if not sooner to prevent the gross waste of valuable water that happens now,

In spite of the negativity posted desalination is the way to go it is working in California, Israel and many other places including Saudi Arabia which gets 70% of its fresh water from desalination. These plants also produce electric power.

Farmers had a traditional use of the river water long before the cities grew to the stage they were sucking the water out from under the farmers, they as the food producers must have priority.

Those who know nothing about farming keep parroting the same things, farmers should grow something else, they shouldn't plant crops. When you learn something about these non-options then post.

As long as the city has water the farmers can starve as far as they are concerned.

Its about fairness Robby, everyone is entitled to their share of the water. Farmers and others should not take more at the expense of normal city dwellers.

[Tonawatchee]

Wait....klong water has some blackish brackish tinge in it.

[timewilltell]

This is all so stupid. Desalination plants and comparisons to California where the rainfall is a fraction of Thailand in most places.

Basically the Thais have plenty of this natural resource falling from the sky but they are so incompetent that they have no idea how to capture and store it. It is a problem borne of their own egos and lack of education.

[rametindallas]

Oh my god I hope it doesn't effect the paint when they are washing their cars.

Water use restrictions should be placed on water use in BKK and other cities and towns immediately if not sooner to prevent the gross waste of valuable water that happens now,

In spite of the negativity posted desalination is the way to go it is working in California, Israel and many other places including Saudi Arabia which gets 70% of its fresh water from desalination. These plants also produce electric power.

Farmers had a traditional use of the river water long before the cities grew to the stage they were sucking the water out from under the farmers, they as the food producers must have priority.

Those who know nothing about farming keep parroting the same things, farmers should grow something else, they shouldn't plant crops. When you learn something about these non-options then post.

As long as the city has water the farmers can starve as far as they are concerned.

Those places you cited as successfully using desalination are chronically dry. Thailand is chronically wet. Desalination would rarely be needed making it cost ineffective. If the 'Desalination Scheme' works out like the Hopewell Project or Swampy (desalination for 8.5 million people is a huge undertaking and hugely expensive to build and run), it will be many years in the making, built with substandard materials, have huge cost overruns, and not be maintained properly. In other words, another Thai boondoggle.

I am opposed to anything that raises costs to farmers as those costs just get passed along to the consumer; so farmers should not have to pay for water. They wouldn't have water rationing now except someone got scared after the 2011 floods and didn't allow the already built dams to fill back up to capacity.

I grew up on a farm and we grew tung-nut trees before I was born (it was sheep before that) and a dairy when I was young and then my dad switched to nursery farming before he passed away. Changing crops is common practice in the developed world and is good for the soil. Mono-culture is an ugly word to modern farmers as it depletes the soil requiring more and more fertilizer which runs off into the waterways. By rotating crops, different nutrients are taken out by each different crop but add different nutrients when they are plowed under. Crop rotation can help maximize crop yield potential; there is often a “yield bump” for crops grown in rotation. http://www.sandsofiowa.com/images/E0240401/CropRotationBenefits91914.pdf

Predictable El Nino weather patterns give farmers lots of advance notice to prepare for growing a crop that is not rice. The alternative is to not plant anything during El Nino years and that is not good for the farmers. Right now, because the dams are at 30 year lows, even if Bangkok didn't need Chao Praya River water, there is still insufficient water to grow more than one crop of rice a year in many regions. Some areas of Thailand are not experiencing drought (40 provinces are; 25 are not) and those farmers can grow rice to their heart's desire. It's the farmers who are growing rice on marginally suitable land that requires extensive irrigation that will not, no matter what Bangkok does, have enough water for their usual two or sometimes three crops per year. Those are the farmers who need to be helped. Transitioned not subsidized.

The government can take some of the money they save not building a 'needed once a decade' desalination plant and help those farmers in marginal rice growing areas to get the knowledge and equipment to grow a less water intensive secondary crop that could even be more profitable than rice; hopefully something they can export to help with the balance of trade.

.

Edited June 25, 2015 by rametindallas

[Lunchbob]

Correct there is no reason why farmers should have more rights to water as other people. Normally it is not a problem but in times of drought farmers should not keep taking water all the time.

CP might disagree with you?

Assume you are including livestock in your "farmers" category? I think the water usage for raising livestock is significantly higher than for rice, on a per Kg ratio.

Of course, everyone has equal rights to water. So normal people before businesses and farmers. The last to be hit should be normal people as they use least of the water in comparison. Its crazy if others can use it to make money and let the normal people pay for it.

Wonder where Nestle corp gets all of the water they sell in thailand.

[halloween]

Wonder where Nestle corp gets all of the water they sell in thailand.

From the advertising, it comes from a crystal clear mountain spring (allegedly). Don't they all?

Edited June 25, 2015 by halloween

[elgordo38]

Thailand should conceder investing in desalination of sea water plants, yes, they're very expensive

to set up and they will pay for them selves in the long run, however, Thailand is known for a short

time solutions for most of it's problems while throwing piles of monies ate a farmers and industries

year after year with no long time results...

this drought have been happening many time over and will happened over and over again, and

only new thinking and new investments will save the day for generations to come...

Just keeping knocking up all those sky high condo's but don't forget to put in the prospectus that there could be no water available in the near future. As we are 96% or so made of water there is definitely trouble on the horizon. They should whisk these new buyers directly from the airport to the condo project and get their name on the dotted line before they wise up as to what is going on. As the bible says I think we are just starting the 7 leans years after wasting the 7 fat years to ready ourselves. Life is a fine balance at the best of times. The squirrels seem to have it right they squirrel away their excess nuts to be eaten in a time of need. Our obsessive selfish rush for profit is fueled by greed and buggar your neighbor. I agree with the post above Thailand always looks for the short term least expensive solution but in the end the piper must be paid.

[elgordo38]

"He also asked them to store water for use in case there is water shortage but he asked the public not to be panic by assuring there would be enough for use in Bangkok."

Panic, but don't panic. Why didn't he just shut up? The rains will come, problem solved.

The rains will come hmm any chance you could tell my fortune to. The only person that knows if the rains will come is God not you and I am not religious. Then there is the zinger of growth at any cost and we are in a real stew of our own making. We could be in for a real dose of California style drought. The trouble with todays world no exceptions is that we can no longer look in the rear view mirror to see what the future holds. We are in a whole new ball game and I am beginning to think we are in the ninth inning with 2 out no one on base and behind in total runs. Each day I watch here in Chiang Mai as the sky turns black and a few drops fall and then the sun comes out. I read the 10 day forecast that states rain, thunderstorms almost every day and yet nothing. Save water shower with a friend. If its brown flush it down if its yellow let it mellow. Phrase from what famous movie?

Edited June 25, 2015 by elgordo38

[JonnyF]

Purely anecdotal, but I replenished the water in my fish containers from the tap this week, same as I normally do.

Next day I had 2 dead fish in one container and 3 dead in the other.

[Ulic]

Thailand should conceder investing in desalination of sea water plants, yes, they're very expensive

to set up and they will pay for them selves in the long run, however, Thailand is known for a short

time solutions for most of it's problems while throwing piles of monies ate a farmers and industries

year after year with no long time results...

this drought have been happening many time over and will happened over and over again, and

only new thinking and new investments will save the day for generations to come...

With the amount of rain Thailand receives there is no need for sea water desalination

plants. Just a proper water management and storage plan. This would help mitigate

the flooding and bridge drought years.

[Ulic]

"In spite of the negativity posted desalination is the way to go it is working in California, Israel and many other places including Saudi Arabia which gets 70% of its fresh water from desalination. These plants also produce electric power"

Really, really,.....You compare desert rain fall areas with Thailand. On top of that these

are wealthy countries that have severe water limitations. If Thailand did 10% of the water

planning and conservation that California does there would never be an issue in Thailand

for anybody. Farmers, city dwellers, or even tourists.

[IAMHERE]

I see the writing on the wall, farang can only rent water. No permanent ownership of water for foreigners, you can use it but cannot keep it permanently.