Mekong's water level increases alarmingly

[webfact]

Mekong's water level increases alarmingly

CHIANG RAI, 5 August 2015, (NNT) – The Mekong's water level increased alarmingly and damaged farmlands in Chiang Rai. Flood warning has been issued to residents in sub-districts of Mae-ngern, Wiang and Saew in Chiang Saen District.

Farm animals in Chiang Saen were being moved to higher ground. More than 100 rai of chili and corn plantations have been flooded with 2 meters of water, said one of the flood-affected farmers, adding that crops would be obliterated if floods persist for another 3 days.

The water level in the Mekong River in Chiang Saen District increased by 50 centimeters from the early hours of the day and is still rising fast, according to the province's Marine Office, adding that authorities would closely monitor the situation and inform the locals residing along Mekong River immediately at the first sign of danger.

Meanwhile, flash floods occurred in Trat Province's Laem Ngob District after days of continuous rainfalls. Floods submerged 5 residences and several fruit orchards early morning yesterday. Currently, flood water is receding. Officials have already been dispatched to survey the damaged areas, provide assistance to the affected victims, and monitor the situation.


-- NNT 2015-08-05

[stoneyboy]

Always the same scenario here year in year out its either feast or famine.

[zaphod reborn]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

[impulse]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

And when they do build the reservoirs and catchments, we'll be in here griping about the poor villagers the stupid government displaced when their land was to be flooded.

[billd766]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

Have you any idea how long it takes to construct a reservoir or catchment area?

A couple of weeks, 3 months, a year or two or more?

How long to complete the EIA?

How long will it take to purchase the land?

How long will it take to fill the reservoir?

What do you do with the people whose land is taken to build the reservoir?

How much compensation should they be paid?

Where to resettle them?

Your statement would be of far more use if you had addressed the previous governments going back 10 of 15 years rather than taking cheap shots at a government who has only been in power 15 months.

AFAIR Chiang Rai is part of Thaksin Shinawatra's little empire. Do you remember him? The saviour of ALL the poor people in Thailand? What did he do to stop the floods and droughts during his 10 years and 3 political parties time in power?

[bubba]

The rapid rise is no doubt due to the three Chinese dams upstream on the Mekong. Once they are full, they open the gates and release water. When they are not full, they store water and Thailand gets f-all; hence the feast or famine that has been occurring over the past several years since the dams were constructed.

[bubba]

And it looks like things will not getting any better. Found this article stating that the Chinese are planning to build 14 more dams on the Mekong in the next decade!

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/chinese-dams-draining-the-life-from-mekong-river/story-fnb64oi6-1227236012725

[sammygood]

time ot get the help of the usual 1000 boat propellers

[godden]

Some times i think they don't understand stupid

[RaoulDuke]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

You clearly lack vision. Submarines have the awesome potential of being able to control water levels. As they submerge, the water level rises. As they surface, the water lowers. You can even tie a gaggle of them together and create a portable dam. It is pure genius!

[The Deerhunter]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

Have you any idea how long it takes to construct a reservoir or catchment area?

A couple of weeks, 3 months, a year or two or more?

How long to complete the EIA?

How long will it take to purchase the land?

How long will it take to fill the reservoir?

What do you do with the people whose land is taken to build the reservoir?

How much compensation should they be paid?

Where to resettle them?

Your statement would be of far more use if you had addressed the previous governments going back 10 of 15 years rather than taking cheap shots at a government who has only been in power 15 months.

AFAIR Chiang Rai is part of Thaksin Shinawatra's little empire. Do you remember him? The saviour of ALL the poor people in Thailand? What did he do to stop the floods and droughts during his 10 years and 3 political parties time in power?

Your statement would be of far more use if you had addressed the previous governments going back 10 of 15 years rather than taking cheap shots at a government who has only been in power 15 months. (Sorry but I am sure he was doing just that!!!!!!

[billd766]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

Have you any idea how long it takes to construct a reservoir or catchment area?

A couple of weeks, 3 months, a year or two or more?

How long to complete the EIA?

How long will it take to purchase the land?

How long will it take to fill the reservoir?

What do you do with the people whose land is taken to build the reservoir?

How much compensation should they be paid?

Where to resettle them?

Your statement would be of far more use if you had addressed the previous governments going back 10 of 15 years rather than taking cheap shots at a government who has only been in power 15 months.

AFAIR Chiang Rai is part of Thaksin Shinawatra's little empire. Do you remember him? The saviour of ALL the poor people in Thailand? What did he do to stop the floods and droughts during his 10 years and 3 political parties time in power?

Your statement would be of far more use if you had addressed the previous governments going back 10 of 15 years rather than taking cheap shots at a government who has only been in power 15 months. (Sorry but I am sure he was doing just that!!!!!!

quote "And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show."

No!! He was just taking a cheap shot at the current government without thinking how long it takes to actually build a reservoir, probably because he has no idea what it involves.

[wabothai]

When they build a trac from Nong Khai they could, while they are at it put a pipeline under or next to the trac.

[bubba]

Seems to me that it would not be easy for any government to plan for flood/drought control when they have no control over the Chinese building 20 dams upstream, then holding or releasing the water according to their own self-interests.

[pomchop]

I miss taksin,

[Bardeh]

Driving over the bridges in town over the past couple of days, I couldn't believe how fast the water level has risen.

[ableguy]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

Have you any idea how long it takes to construct a reservoir or catchment area?

A couple of weeks, 3 months, a year or two or more?

How long to complete the EIA?

How long will it take to purchase the land?

How long will it take to fill the reservoir?

What do you do with the people whose land is taken to build the reservoir?

How much compensation should they be paid?

Where to resettle them?

Your statement would be of far more use if you had addressed the previous governments going back 10 of 15 years rather than taking cheap shots at a government who has only been in power 15 months.

AFAIR Chiang Rai is part of Thaksin Shinawatra's little empire. Do you remember him? The saviour of ALL the poor people in Thailand? What did he do to stop the floods and droughts during his 10 years and 3 political parties time in power?

Totally uncalled for nasty reply, the poster was simply making comments that any past or present government, should tackle as one of the most urgent problems that need solving, the high speed train project only benefits China if she decides to move troops rapidly, the subs totally based on graft . Corruption, water education, eliminate, sort out, reform.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

Have you any idea how long it takes to construct a reservoir or catchment area?

Have you any idea how long the monsoon has been happening?

[billd766]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

Have you any idea how long it takes to construct a reservoir or catchment area?

Have you any idea how long the monsoon has been happening?

Far longer than anyone on earth has been alive. However it has not been that long, maybe a couple of hundred years since man began making dams.

[billd766]

And no construction of reservoirs and catchment areas so that this water can be distributed next year down to central Thailand when it hits dry season. No investment in proper infrastructure in Thailand and planning, just trains and submarines all for show.

Have you any idea how long it takes to construct a reservoir or catchment area?

A couple of weeks, 3 months, a year or two or more?

How long to complete the EIA?

How long will it take to purchase the land?

How long will it take to fill the reservoir?

What do you do with the people whose land is taken to build the reservoir?

How much compensation should they be paid?

Where to resettle them?

Your statement would be of far more use if you had addressed the previous governments going back 10 of 15 years rather than taking cheap shots at a government who has only been in power 15 months.

AFAIR Chiang Rai is part of Thaksin Shinawatra's little empire. Do you remember him? The saviour of ALL the poor people in Thailand? What did he do to stop the floods and droughts during his 10 years and 3 political parties time in power?

Totally uncalled for nasty reply, the poster was simply making comments that any past or present government, should tackle as one of the most urgent problems that need solving, the high speed train project only benefits China if she decides to move troops rapidly, the subs totally based on graft . Corruption, water education, eliminate, sort out, reform.

Actually no he wasn't. He was attempting to blame the current government for not doing what many previous governments SHOULD have done in the last 20 or 30 years.

Depending on the size of the dam and how much water it will hold it can take up to 10 years from the first decision to build a dam to the day that it is full to the high water mark.

The problem inThailand is that no government wants to invest in the medium or long term as they may well be out of power and control when the project comes to fruition and the people will have forgotten who started the project.

Edited August 11, 2015 by billd766

[Ricardo]

Far longer than anyone on earth has been alive. However it has not been that long, maybe a couple of hundred years since man began making dams.

I once drove across the desert-road from Sanaa to Mareb, in the Yemen's empty-quarter, to view the remains of the Marib Dam, built about the 8th Century BC, when it was the centre of the fabled land of Sheba.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marib_Dam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheba

The remains of the mud-city of Old Marib still had a few residents scrambling round in them, too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma'rib

[boomerangutang]

Always the same scenario here year in year out its either feast or famine.

An American friend in C.Rai (John, the stone tool guy) told me there was a mummy found up high in a cliff in Cambodia - which they think is well over 30k years. People have been kicking around here for tens of thousands of years. ....and they get flummoxed when rivers rise in late summer ?!

[sceadugenga]

Far longer than anyone on earth has been alive. However it has not been that long, maybe a couple of hundred years since man began making dams.

I once drove across the desert-road from Sanaa to Mareb, in the Yemen's empty-quarter, to view the remains of the Marib Dam, built about the 8th Century BC, when it was the centre of the fabled land of Sheba.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marib_Dam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheba

The remains of the mud-city of Old Marib still had a few residents scrambling round in them, too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma'rib

I'd be surprised if the Romans had never had dams, they were building aqueducts that had to have been more complex.