Farmers are banned from pumping water from irrigation canals

[webfact]

Farmers are banned from pumping water from irrigation canals



BANGKOK: -- Governors and community leaders in 22 provinces in the Chao Phraya river basin have been told by the Irrigation Department to stop pumping water from irrigation canals into farmland and to ask their people to use water sparingly throughout the dry season next May or July.

While assuring that there is enough water for consumption until next May, Irrigation Department chief Suthep Noypairote said that pumping water from irrigation canals into rice farmland has been banned. He added that all the 365 sluice gates in the Chao Phraya river basin have been shut down.

However in the Mae Klong river basin, Mr Suthep said that water can be pumped from irrigation canals to feed cash crops and vegetables.

He predicted that there might be fight for water among farmers and he urged governors and community leaders to explain to the farmers about the need to conserve water and the need to stop water from being released to feed second crops.

Despite warning from the government for farmers not to grow second crop paddy, about 1.2 million rai in the Chao Phraya river basin have been cultivated with second crops since November.

With 15.6 million cubic metres of water being released each day out of 4 billion cubic metres of water stored in the country’s four main dams, he said that there would be enough water for consumption to last up to eight months until next July when rains are expected.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/farmers-are-banned-from-pumping-water-from-irrigation-canals-2


-- Thai PBS 2015-12-22

[changside]

No smart ass comments from farangs here on this subject. You obviously know nothing about rural living in Thailand. There is more to Thailand than Phuket, Pattaya , Bangkok etc

[colinneil]

No smart ass comments from farangs here on this subject. You obviously know nothing about rural living in Thailand. There is more to Thailand than Phuket, Pattaya , Bangkok etc

What a stupid comment. Not all farangs live in these areas.

Some of us live in rural villages and know about rural living.

[Seastallion]

It would have helped a great deal when they warned farmers not to plant rice had they said that the water WILL be turned off. That may have persuaded more farmers to comply. Not all (TIT) but more.

[apetley]

No smart ass comments from farangs here on this subject. You obviously know nothing about rural living in Thailand. There is more to Thailand than Phuket, Pattaya , Bangkok etc

I live in a Thai village. My wife's family farmed rice right up until last month. The whole village is suffering tremendously as the local canal has been turned off and everyone is scrambling for what water they can get to grow anything. You're the one who appears to know not that much with such a judgemental comment that also offers zero insight into the problem.

[Skywalker69]

It would have helped a great deal when they warned farmers not to plant rice had they said that the water WILL be turned off. That may have persuaded more farmers to comply. Not all (TIT) but more.

They took water from the klongs an that made the roads collapse.

[Skywalker69]

No smart ass comments from farangs here on this subject. You obviously know nothing about rural living in Thailand. There is more to Thailand than Phuket, Pattaya , Bangkok etc

Stupid comment!

[Bluespunk]

"Farmers are banned from pumping water from irrigation canals"

Again.

[Bluespunk]

No smart ass comments from farangs here on this subject. You obviously know nothing about rural living in Thailand. There is more to Thailand than Phuket, Pattaya , Bangkok etc

Who made you god?

[BSJ]

No smart ass comments from farangs here on this subject. You obviously know nothing about rural living in Thailand. There is more to Thailand than Phuket, Pattaya , Bangkok etc

Oh one of great knowledge, maybe you can help me with solving this problem. Was it Mark Twain who said "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." or was it Abraham Lincoln?

[waldroj]

Typical thoughtless piece from the broadcaster we are told we can trust!

As for Suthep's predictions - one can only put that down to Thainess.

Meanwhile, people in the major centres are still free to use water with gay abandon. Not to mention how much is used by tourists (who have no understanding of the current water problem in Thailand).

Bangkok must be one of the cheapest major cities for water in the world - simply no financial incentive to conserve it, so no one here does.

Displays real empathy with the farmers. One hopes the rain comes before the storm.

[WaiLai]

I believe than important fact missing from this article is:

"higher water levels of the Chao Phraya are required to keep the oceans waters from edging into the basin and infiltrating Bangkok's water supply"

Water shortages will fan the flames of discontent and make 2016 a very shaky year for the "government" and the nation.

[Ace of Pop]

No smart ass comments from farangs here on this subject. You obviously know nothing about rural living in Thailand. There is more to Thailand than Phuket, Pattaya , Bangkok etc

I live in a Thai village. My wife's family farmed rice right up until last month. The whole village is suffering tremendously as the local canal has been turned off and everyone is scrambling for what water they can get to grow anything. You're the one who appears to know not that much with such a judgemental comment that also offers zero insight into the problem.

. Bit hard on Changside,those with underground supply are O.K. So far ,but that land costs a fortune.Hard times for all ,without getting grumpy.[emoji23]

[robblok]

Typical thoughtless piece from the broadcaster we are told we can trust!

As for Suthep's predictions - one can only put that down to Thainess.

Meanwhile, people in the major centres are still free to use water with gay abandon. Not to mention how much is used by tourists (who have no understanding of the current water problem in Thailand).

Bangkok must be one of the cheapest major cities for water in the world - simply no financial incentive to conserve it, so no one here does.

Displays real empathy with the farmers. One hopes the rain comes before the storm.

What a stupid remark, rice uses 2000 liter of water per KG a rai can do up to 1000 kg of rice most farmers have more as one rai.

so they use between 2.000.000 - 4.000.000 liters (per harvest). The average use of water for me and most of my neighbors is 10 m3 per months that is 10.000 liters per month. We live in BKK. If anyone is hogging water and using it far more as city dwellers its those farmers.

So stop putting the blame to people in BKK who are not all rich and many have to buy water from water vending machines. If the normal water runs out they will pay the price for the farmers greed.

Rice production is just really wasteful with water and if everyone has a share that is equal then the farmers (saying 2 harvest per year at 2 rai) use 8.0000.000 liters of water (per year not even taking other use for them) compared to an average Bangkok resident using 200.000 liters (per year). That is 40 x times more. Now who is UNFAIR.

Edited December 22, 2015 by robblok

[Emster23]

Heaven forbid that irrigation canals should be used for irrigation! Loved this "water can be pumped from irrigation canals to feed cash crops and vegetables." Do they think rice farmers grow rice just for fun and diversion?

[WaiLai]

quoted from the article:

"Despite warning from the government for farmers not to grow second crop paddy, about 1.2 million rai in the Chao Phraya river basin have been cultivated with second crops since November."

Isn't this the equivalent to saying to the government: "up your nose with a rubber hose"?

​With illegal(if they are such) crops growing then the evidence is there for the authorities to use in taking the perpetrators to task.

​These folks either have big cajoolies or big friends!

[farmerjo]

.Will this lead to a crime wave in local and regional centers around these provinces.

[MobileContent]

Two fish ponds went bust last week with a total loss of 3 million Baht near our village.

Edited December 22, 2015 by MobileContent

[ttthailand]

Typical thoughtless piece from the broadcaster we are told we can trust!

As for Suthep's predictions - one can only put that down to Thainess.

Meanwhile, people in the major centres are still free to use water with gay abandon. Not to mention how much is used by tourists (who have no understanding of the current water problem in Thailand).

Bangkok must be one of the cheapest major cities for water in the world - simply no financial incentive to conserve it, so no one here does.

Displays real empathy with the farmers. One hopes the rain comes before the storm.

What a stupid remark, rice uses 2000 liter of water per KG a rai can do up to 1000 kg of rice most farmers have more as one rai.

so they use between 2.000.000 - 4.000.000 liters (per harvest). The average use of water for me and most of my neighbors is 10 m3 per months that is 10.000 liters per month. We live in BKK. If anyone is hogging water and using it far more as city dwellers its those farmers.

So stop putting the blame to people in BKK who are not all rich and many have to buy water from water vending machines. If the normal water runs out they will pay the price for the farmers greed.

Rice production is just really wasteful with water and if everyone has a share that is equal then the farmers (saying 2 harvest per year at 2 rai) use 8.0000.000 liters of water (per year not even taking other use for them) compared to an average Bangkok resident using 200.000 liters (per year). That is 40 x times more. Now who is UNFAIR.

I agree that the farmers use a lot of water to grow rice but who eats the rice .....

[Ks45672]

Maybe next year you will eat stones with cassava if farmers cannot grow their rice ..

I would rather eat potatoes and steak but thanks anyway

they were warned months ago there is No water for a SECOND crop so DONT grow it...... And they grew it anyway..... Thainess at its very finest

The government have to balance between a drought in bkk which is unlikely to happen and a drought on some farms..... I think we can guess who will get the remaining water....

Hopefully there will be some aid or subsidised help for the farmers allocated by the pm if they do go into starvation mode...

Edited December 22, 2015 by Rimmer
Quoted reply of a removed post removed

[robblok]

Typical thoughtless piece from the broadcaster we are told we can trust!

As for Suthep's predictions - one can only put that down to Thainess.

Meanwhile, people in the major centres are still free to use water with gay abandon. Not to mention how much is used by tourists (who have no understanding of the current water problem in Thailand).

Bangkok must be one of the cheapest major cities for water in the world - simply no financial incentive to conserve it, so no one here does.

Displays real empathy with the farmers. One hopes the rain comes before the storm.

What a stupid remark, rice uses 2000 liter of water per KG a rai can do up to 1000 kg of rice most farmers have more as one rai.

so they use between 2.000.000 - 4.000.000 liters (per harvest). The average use of water for me and most of my neighbors is 10 m3 per months that is 10.000 liters per month. We live in BKK. If anyone is hogging water and using it far more as city dwellers its those farmers.

So stop putting the blame to people in BKK who are not all rich and many have to buy water from water vending machines. If the normal water runs out they will pay the price for the farmers greed.

Rice production is just really wasteful with water and if everyone has a share that is equal then the farmers (saying 2 harvest per year at 2 rai) use 8.0000.000 liters of water (per year not even taking other use for them) compared to an average Bangkok resident using 200.000 liters (per year). That is 40 x times more. Now who is UNFAIR.

I agree that the farmers use a lot of water to grow rice but who eats the rice .....

Given that Thailand exports loads of it, having less rice is not a problem there will still be enough for consumption. Now if water is gone and no drinking water is available that would give much bigger problems.

So please think better next time you post, there is more as enough rice for the local market.

[Rimmer]

Two posts with an edited quote to change the meaning have been removed

[Pib]

No smart ass comments from farangs here on this subject. You obviously know nothing about rural living in Thailand. There is more to Thailand than Phuket, Pattaya , Bangkok etc

I see a bunch of people jumping on you for your comments. But I read your comments as since most farangs in Thailand don't live in rural areas (which I think is a valid comment) and since the majority of farangs probably live in the big non-farming/tourist cities such as the examples you gave and maybe the city drellers can't fully understand the hardship this pumping policy will place on the farmers then no one should be making smart ass comments. If so, I agree with you.

I'm got in-laws in both the rural and city areas of Thailand. This water shortage is placing at big hardship on many farmers and that impact will surely be felt more by many city dwellers over the next half year in periods of no water to their residences, probably higher food prices for everyone, etc.

I live in western Bangkok and plan to replace my 850L water storage tank with a 2,000L tank in the very near term because I fully expect periods when water in the soi mains feeding my storage tank will be cutoff or greatly reduced in pressure for periods of maybe a few days. Just this weekend I noticed my tank was almost empty because the water pressure to the moobaan had dropped so low the pressure in the line was not enough to climb the 2 meter height of the water tank in order to fill it up....I expect it has been like this for a day or so...fortunately, the water pressure came back early Saturday night and we have a full tank again.

In fact, our soi main water pressure has already dropped significantly compared to a year ago. Part of that could be due to the tremendous growth/new construction in western Bangkok which appears to be too much for the water supply to keep up with.

Yeap, the coming 6 months may not be a happy time water-wise for many in Thailand whether living in a rural area or a city.

[tuanku]

http://www.philstar.com/agriculture/2015/09/06/1496503/philippine-rice-brings-out-drought-resistant-rice-varieties

In the Phillipines, the government has acknowledged the El Nino problem in time to make available drought resistant rice seeds for its farmers.

In Thailand the dysfunctional government is well behind the clock

Even though the government of Thailand has begun work on an action plan for global warming mitigation and is providing information to raise awareness about climate change, many rice growers have inadequate knowledge for the efficient management of their farms under the impacts of a transformed climate.

Traditionally, farmers grew rice for household consumption by using seeds and seedlings from the previous crop, which were mostly resistant to pests and disease.

The reasons for this are possibly because the Junta sees farmers and the rural population as part of the problem with their long term support of Red Shirt style government. However if the country ends up with a desperate and angry rural population, the Junta may come to regret not being more motivated to provide real help before the situation got out of hand.

[wabothai]

And export of rice on the rise next year?

In a 3-hour motocy trip in northern Esan yesterday I saw only abandoned ricefields.

[Thian]

Typical thoughtless piece from the broadcaster we are told we can trust!

As for Suthep's predictions - one can only put that down to Thainess.

Meanwhile, people in the major centres are still free to use water with gay abandon. Not to mention how much is used by tourists (who have no understanding of the current water problem in Thailand).

Bangkok must be one of the cheapest major cities for water in the world - simply no financial incentive to conserve it, so no one here does.

Displays real empathy with the farmers. One hopes the rain comes before the storm.

What a stupid remark, rice uses 2000 liter of water per KG a rai can do up to 1000 kg of rice most farmers have more as one rai.

so they use between 2.000.000 - 4.000.000 liters (per harvest). The average use of water for me and most of my neighbors is 10 m3 per months that is 10.000 liters per month. We live in BKK. If anyone is hogging water and using it far more as city dwellers its those farmers.

So stop putting the blame to people in BKK who are not all rich and many have to buy water from water vending machines. If the normal water runs out they will pay the price for the farmers greed.

Rice production is just really wasteful with water and if everyone has a share that is equal then the farmers (saying 2 harvest per year at 2 rai) use 8.0000.000 liters of water (per year not even taking other use for them) compared to an average Bangkok resident using 200.000 liters (per year). That is 40 x times more. Now who is UNFAIR.

Eckuse me mistel accountant, but what is that? 8.0000.000 ? You have been in Thailand too long it seems

[robblok]

Typical thoughtless piece from the broadcaster we are told we can trust!

As for Suthep's predictions - one can only put that down to Thainess.

Meanwhile, people in the major centres are still free to use water with gay abandon. Not to mention how much is used by tourists (who have no understanding of the current water problem in Thailand).

Bangkok must be one of the cheapest major cities for water in the world - simply no financial incentive to conserve it, so no one here does.

Displays real empathy with the farmers. One hopes the rain comes before the storm.

What a stupid remark, rice uses 2000 liter of water per KG a rai can do up to 1000 kg of rice most farmers have more as one rai.

so they use between 2.000.000 - 4.000.000 liters (per harvest). The average use of water for me and most of my neighbors is 10 m3 per months that is 10.000 liters per month. We live in BKK. If anyone is hogging water and using it far more as city dwellers its those farmers.

So stop putting the blame to people in BKK who are not all rich and many have to buy water from water vending machines. If the normal water runs out they will pay the price for the farmers greed.

Rice production is just really wasteful with water and if everyone has a share that is equal then the farmers (saying 2 harvest per year at 2 rai) use 8.0000.000 liters of water (per year not even taking other use for them) compared to an average Bangkok resident using 200.000 liters (per year). That is 40 x times more. Now who is UNFAIR.

Eckuse me mistel accountant, but what is that? 8.0000.000 ? You have been in Thailand too long it seems

Ah I see now a typo my mistake should have been with one zero less.

I made mistakes back in Europe too, guess we all do. But in my work I take more care and have double checks. But this is just an obvious error. I guess you never made any mistakes.

Edited December 22, 2015 by robblok

[MaiChai]

Long time till July. Local town has installed large water tanks in the roads so folks can get fresh water. That means the water distribution system has dried up. Since July is 7 months away expect it to get much worse.

[Ks45672]

Long time till July. Local town has installed large water tanks in the roads so folks can get fresh water. That means the water distribution system has dried up. Since July is 7 months away expect it to get much worse.

Also no certainty the rain will come in July either... Weather predictions are often terribly wrong even in first world countries.... If I didn't live in bkk I would be buying a water tank asap but fairly sure the chief won't let bkk run dry over a few farms...

[robblok]

Long time till July. Local town has installed large water tanks in the roads so folks can get fresh water. That means the water distribution system has dried up. Since July is 7 months away expect it to get much worse.

Also no certainty the rain will come in July either... Weather predictions are often terribly wrong even in first world countries.... If I didn't live in bkk I would be buying a water tank asap but fairly sure the chief won't let bkk run dry over a few farms...

Not only that, they can still make water from the river only the salt content will be to high for it to be drinkable. It would then only be good for showering and washing stuff and so on. That will cause many hardship (they cant use the water vending machines and need to buy expensive water) but its better as no water at all.