LawrenceN Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 There has been a lot of talk lately about the water shortage. I bike up to the Mae Kuang Dam outside of Doi Saket frequently, every seven to ten days. I have decided to document the water level for anyone interested here in ThaiVisa. I will take these photos from the same point, though the zoom may vary a bit. You can encourage me to keep it up by liking my posts. I'm open to constructive suggestions. Mods: Please leave this open through the rainy season. I plan to add photos over the next four months. Hope this is allowed. Here is the first photo I took on July 9: Here is the second photo, taken today: I think you'll agree the photos are almost identical. Check out those rocks at the tip of the narrow strip of land that extends into the water. There was a bit of rain during these six days, but usage for tap water continued as normal, presumably. There is no water running in the irrigation canals from this dam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taotoo Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Data here in case it's of interest: http://www.maekuangudomthara.com/home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonwilly Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Thanks for the photos. i remember back in 2011 ? when the level was flooding the lowest tables in the restaurant maybe a 50 Ft difference. john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiangMai2 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 From roughly the same spot, admittedly its about 9 years between the two pictures but its almost unrecognizable in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MESmith Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 2011 at the restaurant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaibah Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 Taken December 2011. Spillway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceN Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) New photo today. Still no water in the irrigation canals. Note that the slender strips of land are more submerged now. A rock has disappeared from the long one, and a formerly attached rock on the left is surrounded by water. Edited July 25, 2015 by LawrenceN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MESmith Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Get a lot more rain over the hills than we get here in the valley. Keep posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 The irrigation canals here have been flooded continuously for the past seven days, the klong that runs through our garden has not stopped. Mae Rim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MESmith Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 The irrigation canals here have been flooded continuously for the past seven days, the klong that runs through our garden has not stopped. Mae Rim Other side of valley, different source. San Kamphaeng canals dry as a nun's..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 The irrigation canals here have been flooded continuously for the past seven days, the klong that runs through our garden has not stopped. Mae Rim Other side of valley, different source. San Kamphaeng canals dry as a nun's..... I'm a wiz with blue pipe, maybe we can divert some, or perhaps not. Sorry, hope it all improves soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceN Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 The irrigation canals here have been flooded continuously for the past seven days, the klong that runs through our garden has not stopped. Mae Rim Other side of valley, different source. San Kamphaeng canals dry as a nun's..... Here's a map from the Irrigation Department showing a comparison of the water levels in the dams nationwide, as of July 15 this year and last:: https://www.facebook.com/raorukcholpratan/photos/pb.181317751941273.-2207520000.1437870695./900571560015885/?type=3&theater The area around Mae Rim is watered by the Mae Ngat Dam, which was at 42% capacity last year, 20% this year. As MESmith noted. San Kamphaeng, which is watered by the Mae Kuang Dam is dry, probably because its water level was at 20% last year and only 12% this year. I couldn't find a set of maps that gives more detail about the coverage of the water supply by each dam. This national map is too rough to show who's supplied where in Chiang Mai Province. A farmer told me that the Mae Kuang Dam supplies water all the way to Lamphun (through San Kamphaeng, as we already know). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Makes sense, so close yet so far away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MESmith Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Most of the smaller reservoirs in San Kamphaeng are very low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceN Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Surprise! Despite the recent rains, today's photo shows a significant decrease in the water level, probably due to maximum outflow from the dam. I was assured by the guy cutting grass that the reservoir will fill in the next two months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maanoi Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Wow massive drop. They are really gambling that the rains will keep coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaptainrob Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Surprise! Despite the recent rains, today's photo shows a significant decrease in the water level, probably due to maximum outflow from the dam. I was assured by the guy cutting grass that the reservoir will fill in the next two months. Because he believes in Buddha will provide ... or TMD's propaganda? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MESmith Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 The main irrigation canal running down the east side of the valley from Kuang dam has had plenty of water for a week now. They're letting water go for farmers, now that the rains have arrived. How quick will it fill up? More than the 2 months quoted above, imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceN Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 The main irrigation canal running down the east side of the valley from Kuang dam has had plenty of water for a week now. They're letting water go for farmers, now that the rains have arrived. How quick will it fill up? More than the 2 months quoted above, imho. I thought it was clear I was joking when I said the guy cutting the grass predicted two months. He was a ragged minimum-wage guy. Of course, he has no knowledge or authority to make that claim, other than what he was told by the people around him. In other words, it's anyone's guess. I hope it fills in two months, but I agree with you that that prediction is perhaps overly optimistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglechef Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Anybody know if the boats that will take you across Mae Guam are still around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaptainrob Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 The main irrigation canal running down the east side of the valley from Kuang dam has had plenty of water for a week now. They're letting water go for farmers, now that the rains have arrived. How quick will it fill up? More than the 2 months quoted above, imho. I thought it was clear I was joking when I said the guy cutting the grass predicted two months. He was a ragged minimum-wage guy. Of course, he has no knowledge or authority to make that claim, other than what he was told by the people around him. In other words, it's anyone's guess. I hope it fills in two months, but I agree with you that that prediction is perhaps overly optimistic. Usually a good idea to put a smilie or a few 555's after a joke or ppl will think you are a bit thick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceN Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 New photo of the Mae Kuang Dam today. It's at its lowest level yet. There is no outflow in the irrigation canals leaving the dam. I stopped roadside at one point today to talk to a farmer who was watching his hired man disc his field with a tractor. The field was dry. I asked him what he was going to plant, thinking maybe corn instead of rice to obviate the need for water. But no, he's preparing the field for rice. He said irrigation water is all gone and farmers would depend on rain. But that makes sense. That's the way it was for hundreds of years. Irrigation, when it came along in the 20th century was to make a second rice crop possible outside the rainy season. Oh, by the way, I noticed this equipment on a building's roof (2nd photo) overlooking one section of the dam. I'm guessing it's a time-lapse photography setup. Can anyone confirm that? Note the big camera and the cylindrical thing next to it with the solar panel attached. I'm going to look around the Dam's website a bit more. If I find a page showing the dam filling in time lapse, I'll post the link here and stop posting my photos. If I don't find that page, I'll keep posting; any excuse for a bike ride ;^). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaptainrob Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Looks like a weather station with rainfall, temps etc + a CCTV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taotoo Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 I agree it's weather stuff - it was put there a couple of years a go - previously they had an upside-down oil drum that presumably collected rain water for measurement. At least one of the three dams to the west has a similar setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MESmith Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 cctv is to check if anyone steals the water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceN Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 New photo today. Still not even up to where it was mid-July. No outflow into the irrigation canals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceN Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 New photo. Reservoir filling slowly. Not much rain this week, but maybe rains more in the hills (as someone already pointed out). Note that what was sandy beach on the left is now covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Thanks for posting these pictures Lawrence, it's appreciated and really useful to see how it all might pan out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkles Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Nice photos Laurence ,keep them coming if you have time. Can't remember a drier "wet season," never before have we had to water the garden so consistently in the 7 years we have been here.I know thats only a relatively short period but whether its the El Nino effect or not September is with us and records show the heaviest rain fall should come now. If it doesn't the period October through to May may see some serious water shortages. Its apparently raining hard in Chiang Rai...bring it on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceN Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 New photo Saturday morning. Gates are open to allow irrigation outflow, which surprised me. Maybe one of our friends in Sankampaeng can tell us how long it's been flowing this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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