Water reserves in Isaan at critical low

[webfact]

Water reserves in Northeast at critical low

BANGKOK, 7 December 2015 (NNT) - The Public Relations Department (PRD) has instructed its regional offices to reach out to northeasterners regarding the government’s efforts in solving the drought crisis.

The combined water volume across six reservoirs of Nakhon Ratchasima province has declined to 489 million cubic meters, from a total capacity of 1.059 billion cubic meters.

Authorities in 32 districts are rushing to find new, natural sources of water to increase water supplies in their communities. Rice farmers are now forbidden from growing off-season rice.

In Yasothon province, many rice farmers have turned to growing cantaloupe instead of rice to save on water and other farming expenses. Cantaloupes also have short harvesting periods of only 45 days.


-- NNT 2015-12-07

[slipperylobster]

There is a simple solution...

Stop all those pickup trucks carrying big buckets of water (during Songkran), and have them pour it all back in the reservoir.

Edited December 7, 2015 by slipperylobster

[nong38]

Every year there seems to be a water management problem and this year has been the driest "rainy season" I can remember, the Chao Phraya is low as it flows by and I am told that local dams are well down, who is supposed to be making the decisions on releasing water and managing this resource? We are after all looking at another 7-8 months of minimum rainfall if any, how will the country manage?

As said above someone needs to make a decision about what happens at Songkran, an part of the tradition and culture certainly but also a waste of a natural resource.

[Thailand]

The few days of Songkran is hardly the problem.

Daily flushing of driveways, sprinklers running 247, golf courses soaked daily etc etc.

Stop or restrict now and it's possible they may make the next rains before strict water rationing becomes the norm.

[slipperylobster]

The few days of Songkran is hardly the problem.

Daily flushing of driveways, sprinklers running 247, golf courses soaked daily etc etc.

Stop or restrict now and it's possible they may make the next rains before strict water rationing becomes the norm.

lol....you fell for that songkran drivel.

but actually, I have seen firehose shooting water enough to fill 10 swimming pools....just in chiang mai.

[ratcatcher]

"Authorities in 32 districts are rushing to find new, natural sources of water to increase water supplies in their communities. Rice farmers are now forbidden from growing off-season rice."

I am pleased to read the authorities are rushing. It certainly won't be the water that is rushing for at least 6 months or longer.

As we all know, PPPPPP = Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

I am greatly relieved that the P.R. Department has been tasked with this, as the P.M. cannot be everywhere and everything to everyone.

[bangrak]

The few days of Songkran is hardly the problem.

Daily flushing of driveways, sprinklers running 247, golf courses soaked daily etc etc.

Stop or restrict now and it's possible they may make the next rains before strict water rationing becomes the norm.

And when you add to that the heavily subsidised introduction, for political reasons disguised as social development projects, of cultures not adapted to the Issan climate, and known to be consuming very large quantities of water, you will have covered the main causes of this disaster-in-the make...

It's not 'mother nature', known for its 'changes of moods', causing this, human foolishness, greed and ill intentions are the main causes, alas...

[bangrak]

"Authorities in 32 districts are rushing to find new, natural sources of water to increase water supplies in their communities. Rice farmers are now forbidden from growing off-season rice."

I am pleased to read the authorities are rushing. It certainly won't be the water that is rushing for at least 6 months or longer.

As we all know, PPPPPP = Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

I am greatly relieved that the P.R. Department has been tasked with this, as the P.M. cannot be everywhere and everything to everyone.

...Considering that it was only 'discovered' such a thing might be happening in Issan after May 2014, of course?

Nobody could have been expecting this years ago, is it?

It must be the present PM's fault, isn't it?

PPPPPP then, or rather TRTPPPPTP?

Edited December 7, 2015 by bangrak

[KhunBENQ]

Nobody could have been expecting this years ago, is it?

If you are smart enough to predict El-Nino years ahead I congratulate you

You should apply at world meteorological organization as chief prognosticator.

[kalbo123]

The combined water volume across six reservoirs of Nakhon Ratchasima province has declined to 489 million cubic meters, from a total capacity of 1.059 billion cubic meters.

Looks like the glass is still almost half full.

[worgeordie]

So now there will be a glut of Cantaloupes,and the farmers will be demanding the Government

buy them all at inflated prices,

regards worgeordie

[DavisH]

The combined water volume across six reservoirs of Nakhon Ratchasima province has declined to 489 million cubic meters, from a total capacity of 1.059 billion cubic meters.

Looks like the glass is still almost half full.

How much of the remaining water that can be used is not specified. Once below a certain level there is too much silt, as that builds up in the bottom of the reservoir.

[mikebell]

Another solution might be to fix water leaks. I live on a Moo-baan in Bang Saray. We have thousands of gallons of water flowing down the main street from two major leaks. We have reported it & sent pictures but East Water's response has been minimal. We're talking two MONTHS and counting.

[LivinLOS]

And yet in my part of the north (chiang mai) the water management was told to keep the sluice gates open, to push water out of our reservoirs, to increase flow in the chao praya to help bangkoks water processing.

How about bangkok deal with bangkoks problems and let the north try to deal with its own.

[tuanku]

The combined water volume across six reservoirs of Nakhon Ratchasima province has declined to 489 million cubic meters, from a total capacity of 1.059 billion cubic meters.

Looks like the glass is still almost half full.

At the beginning of the dry season, half full is better regarded as half empty. The reservoirs have been at a lower level at the beginning of the dry season in each successive year since the 2011 floods. This year they are historically low. In LamTakhong reservoir cows are grazing where there is normally 1.5 m of water.

[tuanku]

And yet in my part of the north (chiang mai) the water management was told to keep the sluice gates open, to push water out of our reservoirs, to increase flow in the chao praya to help bangkoks water processing.

How about bangkok deal with bangkoks problems and let the north try to deal with its own.

I think you will find that all the water systems are linked together, you can't manage them in isolation. If the sea water pushes up the Chao Phraya into Bangkok then 11 or 12 million people and all the Bangkok industries are without fresh water. Do you really imagine there would be no knock on effect in Chiang Mai if that were to happen?

[bark]

The few days of Songkran is hardly the problem.

Daily flushing of driveways, sprinklers running 247, golf courses soaked daily etc etc.

Stop or restrict now and it's possible they may make the next rains before strict water rationing becomes the norm.

And when you add to that the heavily subsidised introduction, for political reasons disguised as social development projects, of cultures not adapted to the Issan climate, and known to be consuming very large quantities of water, you will have covered the main causes of this disaster-in-the make...

It's not 'mother nature', known for its 'changes of moods', causing this, human foolishness, greed and ill intentions are the main causes, alas...

This is the same as Goldilocks and the Three Bears Story. Every year is different. Too much, too little, and just right.

What Thailand needs is someone who undertsands the weather patterns in Thailand. They need to know; that in an El Nino year the weather changes for Thailand. This person is current not in Thailand ! They could also make bigger dams in the Thai North East to hold more water.

The people who manage the dams in Thailand are not qualified to do this job. They only guess at how much water they should release. This problem dates back 2 years; not this year. There was lots of water two years ago. Why did they release it ? They did it because they delieved they would need the room in the dams for this seasons rain. But this year the rains were lower ( Can you say El Nino ).

[Shiver]

Maybe Songkran alone won't make that much difference (though personally I'd be happy to see the more traditional celebration than water cannons anyhow, or perhaps just one day of crazy rather than a week), but perhaps having a hit list of the top 5 losses (broken pipes, washing the car every day, hose pipe bans etc), and encouraging responsible water usage could allow the reserves to make it though until next season. Maybe they could learn a thing or two from Australia. As a kid in UK I remember there was a sticker saying "have a dirty weekend - save water).

Growing fruit because it uses less water is fine, but it doesn't store as well as rice unless you meddle with it. If they encouraged lots of different food stuffs it would make more sense to me (and also keep eating well at an affordable level for those who are on limited income). "Man cannot live on bread alone" and all that. With the copy mentality here, everyone chases the ball at the same time (rubber trees come to mind, so that price plummets on maturity), instead they could have a think for a moment, and see that requisite variety provides stability and resilience.

[LivinLOS]

And yet in my part of the north (chiang mai) the water management was told to keep the sluice gates open, to push water out of our reservoirs, to increase flow in the chao praya to help bangkoks water processing.

How about bangkok deal with bangkoks problems and let the north try to deal with its own.

I think you will find that all the water systems are linked together, you can't manage them in isolation. If the sea water pushes up the Chao Phraya into Bangkok then 11 or 12 million people and all the Bangkok industries are without fresh water. Do you really imagine there would be no knock on effect in Chiang Mai if that were to happen?

So the farmers have to suffer and give up their water and livelihoods, so bangkok can water its golf courses and wash its cars ??

How about some real and actual water preservation in bangkok, instead of the BMA watering its streets to keep the dust down, considering they are literally going to send Thai farmers to bankruptcy to do so.

The idea that bangkok deserves it all and the northerners just have to suffer so bangkok doesnt is frankly offensive.

[robblok]

And yet in my part of the north (chiang mai) the water management was told to keep the sluice gates open, to push water out of our reservoirs, to increase flow in the chao praya to help bangkoks water processing.

How about bangkok deal with bangkoks problems and let the north try to deal with its own.

I think you will find that all the water systems are linked together, you can't manage them in isolation. If the sea water pushes up the Chao Phraya into Bangkok then 11 or 12 million people and all the Bangkok industries are without fresh water. Do you really imagine there would be no knock on effect in Chiang Mai if that were to happen?

So the farmers have to suffer and give up their water and livelihoods, so bangkok can water its golf courses and wash its cars ??

How about some real and actual water preservation in bangkok, instead of the BMA watering its streets to keep the dust down, considering they are literally going to send Thai farmers to bankruptcy to do so.

The idea that bangkok deserves it all and the northerners just have to suffer so bangkok doesnt is frankly offensive.

I find it offensive that you think that farmers should go before drinking water. Just to produce 1 kg of rice 2000 liters of water is used. Everyone has equal rights even people from BKK. Otherwise the BKK poor who buy from water vending machines suffer.

Ever thought what happens if BKK has no water. The social and economic impact would be huge.

[Baerboxer]

Every year there seems to be a water management problem and this year has been the driest "rainy season" I can remember, the Chao Phraya is low as it flows by and I am told that local dams are well down, who is supposed to be making the decisions on releasing water and managing this resource? We are after all looking at another 7-8 months of minimum rainfall if any, how will the country manage?

As said above someone needs to make a decision about what happens at Songkran, an part of the tradition and culture certainly but also a waste of a natural resource.

One of my neighbors is a senior military officer. Every time he sees me now he mentions that there will be severe problems with the water supply early next year. He has increased the water storage tanks from 1 to 4 at his house and advises us to do the same. He hints that the problem is much worse than the government are letting on, and that they have no idea what to do so are resorting to the usual keep quiet and hope the problem goes away strategy.

[elgordo38]

There is a simple solution...

Stop all those pickup trucks carrying big buckets of water (during Songkran), and have them pour it all back in the reservoir.

Quit making sense I am getting a headache.

[elgordo38]

Every year there seems to be a water management problem and this year has been the driest "rainy season" I can remember, the Chao Phraya is low as it flows by and I am told that local dams are well down, who is supposed to be making the decisions on releasing water and managing this resource? We are after all looking at another 7-8 months of minimum rainfall if any, how will the country manage?

As said above someone needs to make a decision about what happens at Songkran, an part of the tradition and culture certainly but also a waste of a natural resource.

Forget about cancelling Sonkran. It is a big brick in the foundation of returning happiness to the people and of course filling up government coffers. Cambodia or Burma were smart enough to cancel theirs.

[elgordo38]

The few days of Songkran is hardly the problem.

Daily flushing of driveways, sprinklers running 247, golf courses soaked daily etc etc.

Stop or restrict now and it's possible they may make the next rains before strict water rationing becomes the norm.

Would strict water rationing be the same as stopping the burn off in the hills around Chiang Mai??

[elgordo38]

So now there will be a glut of Cantaloupes,and the farmers will be demanding the Government

buy them all at inflated prices,

regards worgeordie

When I first landed here 5 years ago the government was pushing farmers to plant rubber. Look where that got them.

[elgordo38]

And yet in my part of the north (chiang mai) the water management was told to keep the sluice gates open, to push water out of our reservoirs, to increase flow in the chao praya to help bangkoks water processing.

How about bangkok deal with bangkoks problems and let the north try to deal with its own.

This logic goes far beyond water. Bangkok has 17% of the country's populous and spends 70% of the tax revenue. This is what happens when you have a centralized government. I can remember the floods some years back and all the 7/11 stores shelves were empty. All or most of their product came from Bangkok but the roads were flooded. All areas of Thailand should matter not just the capital.

[bangrak]

Nobody could have been expecting this years ago, is it?

If you are smart enough to predict El-Nino years ahead I congratulate you

You should apply at world meteorological organization as chief prognosticator.

Maybe you cannot precisely predict the timing of El-Nino years, but you can be sure that there will be more El-Nino (and La-Nina) years to come, no need to delay measures aimed at being prepared for such adverse climatic phenomena then, and for sure no excuses for not doing so, IMO.

[bangrak]

And yet in my part of the north (chiang mai) the water management was told to keep the sluice gates open, to push water out of our reservoirs, to increase flow in the chao praya to help bangkoks water processing.

How about bangkok deal with bangkoks problems and let the north try to deal with its own.

I think you will find that all the water systems are linked together, you can't manage them in isolation. If the sea water pushes up the Chao Phraya into Bangkok then 11 or 12 million people and all the Bangkok industries are without fresh water. Do you really imagine there would be no knock on effect in Chiang Mai if that were to happen?

So the farmers have to suffer and give up their water and livelihoods, so bangkok can water its golf courses and wash its cars ??

How about some real and actual water preservation in bangkok, instead of the BMA watering its streets to keep the dust down, considering they are literally going to send Thai farmers to bankruptcy to do so.

The idea that bangkok deserves it all and the northerners just have to suffer so bangkok doesnt is frankly offensive.

You don't understand, or you don't want to understand? Don't attempt to polarize the situation: it's not Bangkokians vs. Issan farmers!

Rice has been grown in Issan for centuries, but endemic species with a low yield, consuming a lot less water, for local consumption, and only in exceptional (wet) years was there, in places, a chance(!) to succesfully grow a second crop, else, it was one crop a year, in a sustainable way dictated by experience, period!

Because of 'Thaksinomics', bringing, both megalomaniac and unrealistic, 'schemes' offering unsustainable prices for rice (we don't speak of another crazy idea to subsidise planting hevea trees in areas with a low and irregular pluviosity...), there was big money to make for the large farmers (and the whole money-making chain of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, middlemen, millers, storers, etc.), so the surface of land covered by paddy fields has even grown, exponentially, with many hundred thousands of Rais added, planted with, different, high yield strains, siphoning huge quantities of the scarcely available water, and for at least two crops per year, sometimes even attempting a third one!

It could not go wrong it seemed, but we see now it goes very wrong!

The more so there were no significant civil engineering works done, or even projected, nor locally (though quite easy and not expensive), nor on a larger scale, to 'manage' the available water, like caption and conservation, plus a rationalised use with minimalised wasting and losses...

[bangrak]

And yet in my part of the north (chiang mai) the water management was told to keep the sluice gates open, to push water out of our reservoirs, to increase flow in the chao praya to help bangkoks water processing.

How about bangkok deal with bangkoks problems and let the north try to deal with its own.

This logic goes far beyond water. Bangkok has 17% of the country's populous and spends 70% of the tax revenue. This is what happens when you have a centralized government. I can remember the floods some years back and all the 7/11 stores shelves were empty. All or most of their product came from Bangkok but the roads were flooded. All areas of Thailand should matter not just the capital.

I guess you meant that the 17% of the population living in greater Bangkok generates (not 'spends') 70% of the tax revenue.

[Orac]

Every year there seems to be a water management problem and this year has been the driest "rainy season" I can remember, the Chao Phraya is low as it flows by and I am told that local dams are well down, who is supposed to be making the decisions on releasing water and managing this resource? We are after all looking at another 7-8 months of minimum rainfall if any, how will the country manage?

As said above someone needs to make a decision about what happens at Songkran, an part of the tradition and culture certainly but also a waste of a natural resource.

Forget about cancelling Sonkran. It is a big brick in the foundation of returning happiness to the people and of course filling up government coffers. Cambodia or Burma were smart enough to cancel theirs.

The junta will probably be happy just to last until Songkran - the pressure a serious drought will potentially put on them could be huge with major civil unrest.