Severe drought could be the biggest concern for 2016

[webfact]

Severe drought could be the biggest concern for this year
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION



Water stored in key dams is very low, government warns.

BANGKOK: -- NATURAL DISASTERS and more severe drought brought on by climate change should be one of the biggest concerns for Thailand in 2016, |academics said.

"With the weather pattern shifting more than before, seasons and weather will become more unpredictable. This is due to climate change, which will most certainly have the worst effect on our food production as it relies heavily on weather," Tara Buakamsri, Greenpeace Southeast Asia's campaign director, said.

He warned that global warming would result in more severe storms, more frequent drought and floods, and would increase the level of the sea causing coastal erosion and flooding, so it would be very difficult for us to escape the outcome of climate change.

Arpa Wangkiat, a lecturer at Rangsit University's Department of Environmental Engineering, agreed, saying that small farmers would be most vulnerable to uneven weather patterns and worsening natural disasters.

"With the droughts in 2015, things will be worse in 2016 and the impact even more significant. Small farmers will suffer the most," Arpa pointed out.

According to the Royal Irrigation Department, available water in the four major dams in the Chao Phraya River basin - Bhumibol, Sirikit, Kwai Noi and Pasak Jolasid -was only 21 per cent or 3,834 cubic metres as of Christmas Day.

It was significantly lower than on New Year's day in 2015, when the available water in the four dams was 37 per cent or 6,766 cubic metres.

Tara added that the recent United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris mattered due to worsening climate change.

"At the COP21, there was a talk about how we can cope with the impact of climate change. The world is now alert about this issue," he said. "But in Thailand, our weakness is that official agencies don't have a substantially integrated work plan, so many agencies are often inconsistent with the national agenda. This is our main challenge."

Apart from natural disasters, government policies on environmental issues are also a major concern for 2016, academics warned.

Considering the already existing environmental and health problems in several mining and industry sites nationwide, Maha Sarakham University lecturer Chainarong Sretthachau said there was no sign of these problems improving any time soon.

Earlier, the Primary Industries and Mines Department was planning to open a new round of gold exploration in 12 provinces, but the plan faced strong opposition from the public and had to be put on hold.

Conflict over mining projects

"In the Northeast alone, there are so many projects that are having an adverse impact on locals, and considering the political links, it will be very difficult to resolve these issues," Chainarong said.

"The resource rich Isaan [Northeastern region] will be exploited more by capitalists and many projects are bound to continue, such as potash mines, coal-fired power plants and petroleum drilling," he said.

Chainarong also cautioned that |if this trend continued, it would |give rise to a vast conflict across the country.

Arpa agreed, saying, "We have to keep an eye on such developments, because it will have environmental and health impacts on the local population and create conflicts."

Citing projects that have had bad consequences, such as the gold mines in Loei and Phichit provinces or the petroleum exploration site in Kalasin, she said we should remember not to repeat the same mistakes.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Severe-drought-could-be-the-biggest-concern-for-th-30276069.html


-- The Nation 2016-01-04

[Ireland32]

Well let this be The Biggest Songkran , Ever, Foolish Govt. Policy's

[anon467367354]

why talk about drought like it's some natural climate change phenomena when all you have to do is look

up and see unmarked tankers spraying aerosols all day covering the skies.

Why is Thailand allowing geo-engineering or as it's commonly known as chemtrails

to be sprayed over the kingdom? The drought didn't start until the spraying started.

Weather warfare is not fiction, it's very real and Thailand is under attack as far as I'm concerned.

What are they going to do about it, pretend it's "climate change" which was created after the global warming

was proven to be a farce? The "climate change" scheme is to cover the deliberate changing of the climate for

profit and nefarious purposes. Look around, do your research, Thailand has caved to the devil and is now paying for it.

[almodeller]

Why can't the governments of some countries on this planet start making shallow draught water tankers that can sail up rivers fill up with fresh water then return to sea and meet a bigger tanker and fill it with water then the larger tanker could sail to a country that requires water and pump out its contents there? It will of course require a lot of money .

[FourAces]

severe drought brought on by climate change

Is it climate change or poor water management, you decide, Also why have songkran right in the middle of the dry season

The original concept of songkran was for you to go to the temple and the monk would poor blessed water on your hands to wash away your sins.

[billd766]

severe drought brought on by climate change

Is it climate change or poor water management, you decide, Also why have songkran right in the middle of the dry season

The original concept of songkran was for you to go to the temple and the monk would poor blessed water on your hands to wash away your sins.

Because it is originally the Thai New Year when people returned to their home towns and families to celebrate looooong before the songkran water fights.

There is some interesting information here.

http://www.officeholidays.com/countries/thailand/songkran.php

[Bernard Flint]

Songkan CANNOT be allowed to happen.Save water.

[waldroj]

The current drought is not unique to Thailand - many countries are suffering much worse.

Where Thailand is unique is in the haphazard way it has prepared for this event (starting with the didgeridoo release of water from the dams by Yingluck, through to the failure of the junta to take action since it seized control).

Now, all that can be done is help those most in need of drought-relief, and pray the rains come early this year).

[elgordo38]

Well let this be The Biggest Songkran , Ever, Foolish Govt. Policy's

It will be the biggest ever trust me the government numbers will prove that.

[elgordo38]

Why can't the governments of some countries on this planet start making shallow draught water tankers that can sail up rivers fill up with fresh water then return to sea and meet a bigger tanker and fill it with water then the larger tanker could sail to a country that requires water and pump out its contents there? It will of course require a lot of money .

Yes the cost of these projects called "money" pretty well dooms them. We have been to used to old mother nature doing it for "free" She has lifted her skirts and headed for "greener" pastures.

[elgordo38]

severe drought brought on by climate change

Is it climate change or poor water management, you decide, Also why have songkran right in the middle of the dry season

The original concept of songkran was for you to go to the temple and the monk would poor blessed water on your hands to wash away your sins.

Yes this is one old fashioned idea that should never grow old. My g/f and I still adhere to it. Now they want to water blast your sins away and do your laundry and shower you at the same time. You can also throw in a little future deafness for good luck. There goes that ringing in my ears again. Yes I went to the doctor and he said suffer no cure.

Edited January 4, 2016 by elgordo38

[elgordo38]

Songkan CANNOT be allowed to happen.Save water.

Never say cannot your only waving a red flag in front of a bullheadedness.

[elgordo38]

The current drought is not unique to Thailand - many countries are suffering much worse.

Where Thailand is unique is in the haphazard way it has prepared for this event (starting with the didgeridoo release of water from the dams by Yingluck, through to the failure of the junta to take action since it seized control).

Now, all that can be done is help those most in need of drought-relief, and pray the rains come early this year).

Yes I saw some pictures of California. The ground level has dropped over a foot in some areas as more well drilling is sucking out water which also supports the ground. Essential services like pipelines canals are collapsing.

[jobin]

R u finished, elgordo with the rants?

Tough it out in T'land with one short shower daily, two toilet flushes, NO car washes and let the garden wither away. If the worst comes to T'land i'm back to Tennessee, where it does rain.

[fred Kubasa]

An entrenpenuer as soon, 6 months ago, that it was announced " no water shortage" I rented a tank

truck and have 6,000 gallons for black marketing.

[JAG]

Well let this be The Biggest Songkran , Ever, Foolish Govt. Policy's

Songkan CANNOT be allowed to happen.Save water.

I suspect that cancelling even "The Biggest Songkran Ever" would have absolutely no effect on the water shortage. It would only annoy the ordinary people.What might have some effect (both in saving water and concentrating the minds of those in a position to order measures to improve water management) is a long term (until the drought breaks) ban on watering golf courses, filling swimming pools and operating car washes.

[Assurancetourix]

severe drought brought on by climate change

Is it climate change or poor water management, you decide, Also why have songkran right in the middle of the dry season

The original concept of songkran was for you to go to the temple and the monk would poor blessed water on your hands to wash away your sins.

No, no !

Not in the middle but at the end of the dry season ;

normally, it rains at the end of april each year .

I'm living in Issan since nearly ten years ;

yesterday I saw people washing their cars with the water jet ..and not far from Waritchaphum , Sakon Nakhon province ,they are doing a second season of rice; all the rice fields are green; a beautiful and deep green

It's not drought everywhere ...

[billd766]

The only benefit for me as far as I can see is that while the drought lasts I don't have to cut the grass so often.

[Plutojames88]

Locusts and first born SDS ?

I await the spin on those too

[GOLDBUGGY]

Yet others will say we are at the start of a mini ice age.

Climate change has been going on since the start of this planet 4.5 Billion years ago. Over time it will continue to change. Nobody can predict what will happen next year. We may be faced with too much water and floods again next year and like in the past.

[Thian]

Why can't the governments of some countries on this planet start making shallow draught water tankers that can sail up rivers fill up with fresh water then return to sea and meet a bigger tanker and fill it with water then the larger tanker could sail to a country that requires water and pump out its contents there? It will of course require a lot of money .

Guess the Chao praya is not deep enough for deep tankers.

Why they don't do the same for sand to raise the land? In BKK they raise land everywhere now but with old crappy trucks who loose their load everywhere.

[trainman34014]

Meanwhile; all around our area of the North Farmers are very busy planting the second crop of rice they were told NOT to plant this year. There is not one redundant Paddy.

[RogueLeader]

Close the golf courses, tax the breweries for their use of water, tax water in plastic bottles. That's a start.