Thai politics: As drought looms, now is the time for new ideas to confront it

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE
As drought looms, now is the time for new ideas to confront it
CHULARAT SAENGPASSA

BANGKOK: -- THE COUNTRY'S dry season officially kicked off at the beginning of this month, underlining the fact that water shortages will soon become a very hot public issue.

In fact, the limited water supply in various parts of the country has been a big issue for more than one year. It had huge media coverage even during the rainy season.

So, as the dry season has now started, it is hard to be optimistic about the water situation.

Roads along canals and rivers cracked and collapsed as water levels in canals and rivers dropped during the recent wet season due to inadequate rainfail. Tap-water services faltered in a way that affected not just households but also commercial and industrial sites. And farmland, which seemed to bear the brunt, withered - particularly in downstream areas.

Farmers in the Chao Phraya River Basin know full well they have had repeated warnings from government officials that there may not be enough water for their plants to survive.

At times during the water crisis, soldiers were dispatched to patrol key canals to prevent farmers from diverting water in public canals to their paddy fields or vegetable orchards.

Due to the tough measures, many farmers continue to agonise over their withering crops.

"We are still repaying the loan that we sought to invest in our paddy field last farming season. We still owe the money because our rice was water-deprived. It could not bring a good price," a farmer in Lop Buri province said.

She is now really worried about what will come next.

"If the government says we can't grow rice outside the rainy season, we will be in real trouble," she said.

Existing signs don't bode well for farmers. As of November 3, major dams in the country had less water than last year. Bhumibol Dam, for example, had just 4,990 million cubic metres - down from 6,044 million cubic metres a year earlier. Sirikit Dam also had just 4,908 million cubic metres - down from 5,582 million cubic metres the previous year.

Two dams with direct impact on Bangkok face the same problem. On November 3, Kwai Noi Dam had just 414 million cubic metres of water, down from 791 million cubic metres the previous year. Pasak Jolasid Dam, meanwhile, had just 637 million cubic metres of water, down from 820 million cubic metres a year earlier.

These figures show that farmers will face an even graver shortage of water in the coming year.

Now that the dry season has officially started, little is expected from out-of-season falls.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has been planning measures since before the wet season ended to help farmers cope with the reality that they won't be able to grow rice outside the rainy season.

National Farmers Council's president Prapat Panyachartrak, meanwhile, has revealed that farmer groups plan to ask the government to try to get all citizens to save water - not just people in the agricultural sector.

Speaking at a recent seminar, Prapat said the government should do more to help rice farmers transform their farming techniques.

"Help them during the transition into the era whereby they can use water-saving techniques for growing their plants," he said.

At the same seminar, Apichart Pongsrihadulchai said in his capacity as an adviser to a subcommittee of the International Network for Water and Ecosystem in Paddy Fields that research showed a new technique could reduce water use by at least 25 per cent, and chemical-fertiliser use by half in paddy fields. "This technique can reduce production cost and boost productivity," Apichart said.

However, he said the technique had not yet caught on among farmers because relevant agencies had not seriously promoted it and provided support.

Assoc Prof Dr Bancha Kwanyuen, acting president of Kasetsart University, said if the government stuck to its old approach such as offering compensation to affected farmers, the same old problems would continue.

As these figures have pointed out, the government should seriously review its approach to the water crisis.

If the long-used measures cannot prevent droughts from getting worse, do it a different way.

And start now, so that the country can deal better with the droughts that follow.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/As-drought-looms-now-is-the-time-for-new-ideas-to--30272613.html


-- The Nation 2015-11-10

[MaiChai]

Bit late now? Is it me or do Thais not seem very good at forward planning? There are some mighty rivers in Thailand that allow all the water to flow to the sea; maybe more dams need to be built?

[englishoak]

Sounds like a simple job for... article 44 man ... ta daaa

[trogers]

"We are still repaying the loan that we sought to invest in our paddy field last farming season. We still owe the money because our rice was water-deprived. It could not bring a good price," a farmer in Lop Buri province said.

In other words, we made a stupid investment using borrowed money, and now all we have left is sh*t...

And we are stupid enough to keep doing this again and again...

[Lunchbob]

Many seem now to be desperately selling that dry land to pay off debt. Seems to be no way to slow the spiral.

[NongKhaiKid]

' Drought Looms '.

The headline makes it sound as if this is a totally new phenomenon but drought and flood are annual events and all officialdom can do is talk.

[selftaopath]

Bit late now? Is it me or do Thais not seem very good at forward planning? There are some mighty rivers in Thailand that allow all the water to flow to the sea; maybe more dams need to be built?

Forward planning? None. Action? None. Talk? Lots.

I swear people here don't know that work/job - in most parts of the world - mean doing something; putting effort in, getting active, tired, etc. Here in Land of Scams (LOS) everybody wants to sit around and get paid for "knowing somebody."

[selftaopath]

' Drought Looms '.

The headline makes it sound as if this is a totally new phenomenon but drought and flood are annual events and all officialdom can do is talk.

Yes! They seem to excel in TALK, TALK, TALK. Oh and suggesting, having committees, looking into etc.

The Thai population is sorely focused on appearance (not facts/truth) so when they can not "get the job done" how does this look? Oh but then there is the usual denial, rationalization, blame, ignore, that is so typical and maybe be genuine Thainess.

Lost cause.

[MaiChai]

Ah its another day in paradise! Hot countries make people lazy. Thousands of years of floods; did you expect them to sort it by now? Bangkok will be permanently under 3 feet of water before any action. If the dutch could sort it 300 years ago you would think it could be possible in the modern day? Even London has its Thames barrier.

[waldroj]

Still no national water restrictions!

Just another example of the holier-than-thou junta's abject failure to bring their promised "happiness to the people".

Disgraceful crisis management and incompetence in action, without accountability, liability or responsibility.

Homespun slogans and policies don't seem to count for too much any more.

[chicowoodduck]

Drought???? Oh my Buddha.....rains every single day....would love to see a drought happen starting today....my umbrella collection is maxed out....?

[GAZZPA]

' Drought Looms '.

The headline makes it sound as if this is a totally new phenomenon but drought and flood are annual events and all officialdom can do is talk.

It is not a new phenomenon for Thailand to preserve water during the wet season to maintain supply during the dry season, this is the cycle for countries with a tropical climate.

The issue is that the water levels are very low, much lower then last year and have been falling for the past 3 years, at the current rate it can and will get very serious for Thailand unless a reversal to this can be found somehow.

Currently Thailand captures only a fraction of the water during the rainy season, more water flows into the sea then the entire water storage capacity on Thailand (I have read this fact on many articles)

There are many articles and charts you can google to see why this year is different. Below are just a couple..

I hope we see some real action plans from the current PM and administration, but then again we have been waiting for the promised reforms for 18 months so I don't hold out much hope..

http://thewaterproject.org/water-in-crisis-thailand

http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/water-expert-smith-warns-thailand-of-the-worst-water-shortage-to-come/107088/

[trainman34014]

Save water? They could start by fixing leaks; there must be more than 100 in just three village's near me thanks to the useless blue plastic pipes and joints that break down in the constant heat of the sun. Anything road side of the meter is usually fixed by the village 'maintenance men' but house side leaks just goes on leaking because Thai's don't want to pay anyone to fix them, and when it comes to DIY ....well; forget it ! They would rather just pay the extra water bills because basically water supply is way too cheap here.

[anon467367354]

maybe they should put a stop to whoever is spraying their skies.

Every day the skies are covered from horizon to horizon with aerosols, and then you can

see scalar activity using radio frequencies to spread them out.

If you don't like the unnatural weather patterns, then stop letting them alter the weather.

Say no to chemtrails, geoengineering in Thailand. We can't afford it.

[springheeled jack]

there has been adequate time to implement new water measures money should have been spent on ground water wells, boreholes, desalination plants and reverse osmosis units at the moment we are getting pitiful cries about rivers and reservoirs drying up it will get a lot worse something must be done and done now before the bellyaching gets louder .

[jaywalker]

' Drought Looms '.

The headline makes it sound as if this is a totally new phenomenon but drought and flood are annual events and all officialdom can do is talk.

Headline should read: As drought looms, now 50 years ago was the time for new ideas to confront it

[springheeled jack]

I am afraid we are back to the same old situation we were before nothing has been done to remedy the water shortage no money has been spent and the farmers are still doing the same as before diverting water from rivers or canals for their rice crop .

[elgordo38]

Many seem now to be desperately selling that dry land to pay off debt. Seems to be no way to slow the spiral.

Yes mother nature and their own short sightedness is now driving them into the arms of the elite who much like the carpetbaggers in America after the civil war are waiting with wads of cash to buy up their land on the cheap. The rich always win and the poor well they just keep getting poorer.

[Orac]

I am afraid we are back to the same old situation we were before nothing has been done to remedy the water shortage no money has been spent and the farmers are still doing the same as before diverting water from rivers or canals for their rice crop .

I think you might find that plenty of money has been spent. Edited November 10, 2015 by Orac

[skildpadden]

It is not that the knowledge on how to preserve water and the farming land is not there - good examples are the Khao Hin Sorn and the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Centre. They show how you can transform bad farming land into good conditions, preserve water and farming techniques. These centers has been around for more than 30 years

It is likely more a question of actually listening and implementing best practice examples?

[jaywalker]

Save water? They could start by fixing leaks; there must be more than 100 in just three village's near me thanks to the useless blue plastic pipes and joints that break down in the constant heat of the sun. Anything road side of the meter is usually fixed by the village 'maintenance men' but house side leaks just goes on leaking because Thai's don't want to pay anyone to fix them, and when it comes to DIY ....well; forget it ! They would rather just pay the extra water bills because basically water supply is way too cheap here.

I agree on all but your last sentence. The market should (not that it will be allowed to) dictate the price of everything, but YES, proper water supply plumbing does seem to be the furthest thing from most folks minds, be it new construction or repairs.

It also seems to be a cultural thing that has been allowed to build up to a critical point... death by a thousand cuts, in that EVERYTHING, new or repaired, is done SO IT JUST BARELY squeaks by for just a bit longer, with precious little done locally, by locals, in an efficient manner, is like the Dutch boy trying plug the holes in the dam with his fingers.

Edited November 10, 2015 by jaywalker

[elgordo38]

Bit late now? Is it me or do Thais not seem very good at forward planning? There are some mighty rivers in Thailand that allow all the water to flow to the sea; maybe more dams need to be built?

Forward planning? None. Action? None. Talk? Lots.

I swear people here don't know that work/job - in most parts of the world - mean doing something; putting effort in, getting active, tired, etc. Here in Land of Scams (LOS) everybody wants to sit around and get paid for "knowing somebody."

Look at the food stamp program in the USA. 14% or 41 million are on it plus other assorted welfare programs. I guess you could say they are on the dole because they know Barrack Obama. You could say its the United States of Assistance. Could you say the LOS and the USA are similar methinks so.

[elgordo38]

Still no national water restrictions!

Just another example of the holier-than-thou junta's abject failure to bring their promised "happiness to the people".

Disgraceful crisis management and incompetence in action, without accountability, liability or responsibility.

Homespun slogans and policies don't seem to count for too much any more.

Your scaring me I hope I can return my water gun for a full refund.

[elgordo38]

Drought???? Oh my Buddha.....rains every single day....would love to see a drought happen starting today....my umbrella collection is maxed out....?

I get your meaning I never saw the water so clear and the sky so dark. After looking at your picture I am starting to believe in alternate universes. The car must be part of the other universe.

[jaywalker]

Many seem now to be desperately selling that dry land to pay off debt. Seems to be no way to slow the spiral.

Yes mother nature and their own short sightedness is now driving them into the arms of the elite who much like the carpetbaggers in America after the civil war are waiting with wads of cash to buy up their land on the cheap. The rich always win and the poor well they just keep getting poorer.

Carpetbaggers! HA! I love it! Haven't heard that one in a while.

In some ways that can benefit folks (in the long run), though there will definitely be some interim pain.

I suppose there's no perfect solution, but a large company, free from government interference, owning vast tracts of farmland, and using it properly, just 'might' be a bit better than every Somchai and his brother out doing his own thing, and might lead to higher efficiency?

Not saying I'm correct, but the carpetbaggers did develop the USA after the Civil War. It took a long time, but you must recall the Dust-Bowl that existed in the '20s & '30s or so.

Anyhow, food for thought.

[RPCVguy]

What is underway with monsoons, droughts, multiple large cyclones in the Pacific simultaneously is all part of a changed and still shifting hydrological pattern around the globe. More heat in the oceans sets up more moisture in the atmosphere, yet not so evenly distributed. Years with weak trade winds off South America set up bigger El Nino cycles, and these mean drier years for the Western Pacific - yet when trade winds are normal (preventing El Nino amplification) the warmer ocean waters end up in the Western Pacific and the added moisture results in more flooding regionally.

Building more big dams to store water is impractical and untimely, but more earthen dams high up on the tributaries of the river network can be done in weeks - once a decision is made. Those earthen dams can assist in storing water - and might yet be done this year while a few minor storms are yet to supply rain.

This year has been (and early 2016 surely will be) an El Nino event year... hence the drought. Northern Thailand is in the pivotal latitudes where rainfall will be more Feast/Famine than in the past. Southern Thailand extends into the regions where rainfall patterns will consistently exceed historical averages. Ignore what is happening globally, deny it, yet the science is sound. Past patterns will shift, indeed are already shifting.

Looking further into the future... as leaders gather soon in Paris to try to limit the warming to only 2ºC ... how much will become the new sea level around Bangkok at only 2ºC? ... and if it goes to 4ºC?

Surging Seas: Mapping Choices
http://choices.climatecentral.org/#10/13.9041/100.5325?compare=temperatures&carbon-end-yr=2100&scenario-a=warming-4&scenario-b=warming-2

[jacky54]

Banning songkran would be a nice start

Edited November 10, 2015 by jacky54

[jaywalker]

What is underway with monsoons, droughts, multiple large cyclones in the Pacific simultaneously is all part of a changed and still shifting hydrological pattern around the globe. More heat in the oceans sets up more moisture in the atmosphere, yet not so evenly distributed. Years with weak trade winds off South America set up bigger El Nino cycles, and these mean drier years for the Western Pacific - yet when trade winds are normal (preventing El Nino amplification) the warmer ocean waters end up in the Western Pacific and the added moisture results in more flooding regionally.

Building more big dams to store water is impractical and untimely, but more earthen dams high up on the tributaries of the river network can be done in weeks - once a decision is made. Those earthen dams can assist in storing water - and might yet be done this year while a few minor storms are yet to supply rain.

This year has been (and early 2016 surely will be) an El Nino event year... hence the drought. Northern Thailand is in the pivotal latitudes where rainfall will be more Feast/Famine than in the past. Southern Thailand extends into the regions where rainfall patterns will consistently exceed historical averages. Ignore what is happening globally, deny it, yet the science is sound. Past patterns will shift, indeed are already shifting.

Looking further into the future... as leaders gather soon in Paris to try to limit the warming to only 2ºC ... how much will become the new sea level around Bangkok at only 2ºC? ... and if it goes to 4ºC?

Surging Seas: Mapping Choices

http://choices.climatecentral.org/#10/13.9041/100.5325?compare=temperatures&carbon-end-yr=2100&scenario-a=warming-4&scenario-b=warming-2

That's a nice infographic you have there, and, as for the "Global Warming"......George Carlin says it best.

Also,

The more enlightened a populace is, the less pollution you see, and the more they tend NOT turn their backyards into a garbage dump, or a cesspool.

I'm from the US... Prior planning does help in the short term (50 -100 years), but the global warming theory is a myth.

I think the planet invented people, because it wanted plastic bags.

Edited November 10, 2015 by jaywalker

[billd766]

Still no national water restrictions!

Just another example of the holier-than-thou junta's abject failure to bring their promised "happiness to the people".

Disgraceful crisis management and incompetence in action, without accountability, liability or responsibility.

Homespun slogans and policies don't seem to count for too much any more.

Why are you blaming the current government when action should have been taken at least 10 years ago or even before that?

Lay the blame where it truly belongs, ALL the governments for the last 15 or more years and their short sightedness in not preparing plans that would take longer than the normal life of the government as if the government was replaced they would get NO credit for it.

Have you ANY idea how long or how much it costs to build a dam and filling it to capacity?

From the day the contract is signed to completion depending on the size of the day is anywhere between 6 and 10 years at a cost of billions of baht.

[anotheruser]

Bit late now? Is it me or do Thais not seem very good at forward planning? There are some mighty rivers in Thailand that allow all the water to flow to the sea; maybe more dams need to be built?

Even if they built dams they would try to plant more rice or allow them to fill up and flood and release the water after it is too late and end up dry.

They need to learn how to manage dams before they even contemplate building more dams that could potentially be destructive to the environment.They can't manage the ones they have already so I don't see how more would make much of a difference. Sort of like giving the Thai wife money she can't manage 1,000 Baht so giving her 1,000,000 wouldn't work. Seems like they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.