Songkran revelers will have enough water to celebrate the occasion

[webfact]

Songkran revelers will have enough water to celebrate the occasion

BANGKOK, 8 April 2016 (NNT) - The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) said the water levels in four major dams of the Chao Praya River are enough for domestic consumption and sustaining ecosystems until July.

RID Director-General Suthep Noipairoj said there is currently a total of 2.2 billion cubic meters of usable water left in the major dams. A total of 18 million cubic meters of water is being released from these dams for domestic use and to preserve ecosystems.

The RID will strictly follow a water distribution plan it has put in place to conserve water and has assured there will be enough water for Songkran revelers to enjoy. However, the department head continued to urge everyone to use water wisely.


-- NNT 2016-04-08

[Laughing Gravy]

Great I can sleep well tonight knowing that.

[djjamie]

"there will be enough water for Songkran revelers to enjoy. However, the department head continued to urge everyone to use water wisely"

​That is a contradiction in terms. Throwing water on someone else is not using water wisely.

[Katipo]

It's as simple as "if they can throw water, they will", drought be damned. Live for today, tomorrow never comes.

If/when the water does run out, at least everyone will have good Songkran memories to remember as fields go thirsty and the cost of living rises.

[BangkokKen]

Until July???

[hutchings1963]

How can a goverment be so stupid to let this go on

[elgordo38]

"there will be enough water for Songkran revelers to enjoy. However, the department head continued to urge everyone to use water wisely"

​That is a contradiction in terms. Throwing water on someone else is not using water wisely.

Forget about water flowing during Songkran all that matters is that the bahts must flow.

[noosard]

Got to look at the positive side

The streets get washed of all that drought driven dust

That has to be a winner

[thesetat2013]

Of course there will be enough water for Songkran revelers. It's in a month when it runs out people will start bitchin and demanding the gov do something

[Lingba]

_{Use water wisely?....sure throw it all over the place..thats pretty wise...in the meantime there are no crops on the farms}

[malibukid]

the water in the moat up here in Chiang Mai is at the lowest level i have ever seen, disgusting, foul, polluted. hight bacteria count i am told. they have been treating it with chlorine to no avail. unsafe and infectious. yet no warnings to the public that i am aware of.

[TKDfella]

While shopping today I notice that the big water guns are on sale in large quantities. Very little idea about water conservation going on. On the way home I saw a line of pickup trucks being load up with open metal drums...wonder what they were for?

[Basil B]

While shopping today I notice that the big water guns are on sale in large quantities. Very little idea about water conservation going on. On the way home I saw a line of pickup trucks being load up with open metal drums...wonder what they were for?

Super Soaker's probably use less than the morons who use buckets and sauce pans.

But still question if there will be enough water to shower by the next day.

[wabothai]

Imagine you get the klong water all over your face.

[tuanku]

How can a goverment be so stupid to let this go on

have you ever watched the Friday evening homilies?

[DavisH]

"there will be enough water for Songkran revelers to enjoy. However, the department head continued to urge everyone to use water wisely"

​That is a contradiction in terms. Throwing water on someone else is not using water wisely.

Forget about water flowing during Songkran all that matters is that the bahts must flow.

Well if my bath ain't flowing, my students will be none too happy

[DavisH]

While shopping today I notice that the big water guns are on sale in large quantities. Very little idea about water conservation going on. On the way home I saw a line of pickup trucks being load up with open metal drums...wonder what they were for?

Thai response to their taps running dry....."oh dear, I never would have guessed that"....then the blame game will start...

[marcusd]

It's as simple as "if they can throw water, they will", drought be damned. Live for today, tomorrow never comes.

If/when the water does run out, at least everyone will have good Songkran memories to remember as fields go thirsty and the cost of living rises.

Great I can sleep well tonight knowing that.

Every year the same old stuff and this is so boring. THIS IS THAILAND and their NEW YEAR and to kill Songkran is to kill Thai spirit or whats left.

Now in Oz where I am from DROUGHT is something we know. Here ist is no more than the next rain season and whilst that may BE DROUGHT is still enough to get by. Yeah sure and given some things will and must change by Songkran is Thai just as Christmas is Europe!

[marcusd]

How can a goverment be so stupid to let this go on

You said it STUPID and that is a understatement but yes it will and Must go on for the happiness of the people.Lets hope it rains and yes it will as this is a tropical area. When it does not we can go home ok?

[likewise]

pretty simple really, us farangs are using way too much water

[Laughing Gravy]

It's as simple as "if they can throw water, they will", drought be damned. Live for today, tomorrow never comes.

If/when the water does run out, at least everyone will have good Songkran memories to remember as fields go thirsty and the cost of living rises.

Great I can sleep well tonight knowing that.

Every year the same old stuff and this is so boring. THIS IS THAILAND and their NEW YEAR and to kill Songkran is to kill Thai spirit or whats left.

Now in Oz where I am from DROUGHT is something we know. Here ist is no more than the next rain season and whilst that may BE DROUGHT is still enough to get by. Yeah sure and given some things will and must change by Songkran is Thai just as Christmas is Europe!

Actually 'ole bean' 15 years ago the Songkran we see today is nothing like the spirit of the Thais and more like the important craziness from foreign influence. There were no high powered water guns and ice buckets, If you said you didn't want to be splashed you were not. Now it is just an excuse for both foreign and Thais to behave like idiotic children, taking the very symbolic gesture of sprinkling water on people to heights of drenching and putting people in danger. Throwing a bucket of water in front of a motorcyclist is not clever and hardly a good thing to promote as fun.

[55Jay]

I get that some regions are still doing OK while others are in severe drought conditions, many for months already.

Suppose BKK saying no to Songkran would be like Obama telling the East Coast of the USA they can't celebrate Songkran because California has a drought problem, so all should suffer in national solidarity. It's not as if the water in the CP reservoir would or could be pumped uphill to Issan.... still, it just feels wrong. The PM has called for water conservation and so has the Water Authority, then in the next breath, sanctions Songkran wastage into their prediction model.

Drought stricken Issan-ites will have salt rubbed in their wound when they see photos of BKK Songkran revelers throwing water around on the street.

[NongKhaiKid]

Meanwhile somewhere in the depths of the Tourism Ministry the minister is finalising her ' Fantasy Figures ' of tourism and expenditure to be released before the holiday is even over.

[dhream]

You look at the 'traditional' Songkran 'sprinkling' and compare that to the modern mayhem, which is fun, don't get me wrong, but what happened to 'traditional' values?

Oh I see, wasting giga-liters is fine, just don't do an 'untraditional' wet T shirt, and you'll not go to lady prison.

Got it, Sir!

Thanks for returning happiness to us damp street urchins.

[dhream]

It's as simple as "if they can throw water, they will", drought be damned. Live for today, tomorrow never comes.

If/when the water does run out, at least everyone will have good Songkran memories to remember as fields go thirsty and the cost of living rises.

Great I can sleep well tonight knowing that.

Every year the same old stuff and this is so boring. THIS IS THAILAND and their NEW YEAR and to kill Songkran is to kill Thai spirit or whats left.

Now in Oz where I am from DROUGHT is something we know. Here ist is no more than the next rain season and whilst that may BE DROUGHT is still enough to get by. Yeah sure and given some things will and must change by Songkran is Thai just as Christmas is Europe!

Actually 'ole bean' 15 years ago the Songkran we see today is nothing like the spirit of the Thais and more like the important craziness from foreign influence. There were no high powered water guns and ice buckets, If you said you didn't want to be splashed you were not. Now it is just an excuse for both foreign and Thais to behave like idiotic children, taking the very symbolic gesture of sprinkling water on people to heights of drenching and putting people in danger. Throwing a bucket of water in front of a motorcyclist is not clever and hardly a good thing to promote as fun.

I'm all for the more 'fun' side. But I will agree that sadly, Thai and Farang idiots with ice buckets and high pressure soakers have turned it into a load of <deleted>. I would not want my kids out there, if i had any. There are just too many f'n morons and it HAS got out of hand. Their response, ban nom noms and on-street go go dancing. Idiotic.

[55Jay]

Subdued, responsible Songkran 2016

Maybe not such a good idea this time around.

Come on, Thailand, do the right thing.

[Scouse Twoccer]

"there will be enough water for Songkran revelers to enjoy. However, the department head continued to urge everyone to use water wisely"

​That is a contradiction in terms. Throwing water on someone else is not using water wisely.

No it's not, it's been confirmed that there is sufficient water for the annual celebration and permission has been given for water to be used.

[Scouse Twoccer]

How can a goverment be so stupid to let this go on

How can some posters be so stupid as to ignore what has been announced?

There is enough water to cope with Songkran and the amount of extra water that the celebration uses is not as much as the doom-mongers here like to suggest with their complete lack of knowledge of what is available.

[Rayk]

How can a goverment be so stupid to let this go on

How can some posters be so stupid as to ignore what has been announced?

There is enough water to cope with Songkran and the amount of extra water that the celebration uses is not as much as the doom-mongers here like to suggest with their complete lack of knowledge of what is available.

Tell that to the doom-mongers who haven't had water for weeks or even months already in the Northern provinces and are relying on water trucks to bring them water, or the doom-mongers who have recently had to resort to going to the local fire station in order to get water. But no doubt you live in Bangkok where everthing is just hunky dorry.

The MWA estimates that watersplashing during the Songkran festival in the capital and its vicinities will add another 100,000 cubic metres to daily demand.

For the sake of comparison, that amount of water would need 8,333 12-tonne trucks for storage. If those 8,333 trucks were lined up, the total length would be 100km - the distance from Bangkok to Sara Buri province.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Rayk

[CGW]

How can a goverment be so stupid to let this go on

How can some posters be so stupid as to ignore what has been announced?

There is enough water to cope with Songkran and the amount of extra water that the celebration uses is not as much as the doom-mongers here like to suggest with their complete lack of knowledge of what is available.

Tell that to the doom-mongers who haven't had water for weeks or even months already in the Northern provinces and are relying on water trucks to bring them water, or the doom-mongers who have recently had to resort to going to the local fire station in order to get water. But no doubt you live in Bangkok where everthing is just hunky dorry.

The MWA estimates that watersplashing during the Songkran festival in the capital and its vicinities will add another 100,000 cubic metres to daily demand.

For the sake of comparison, that amount of water would need 8,333 12-tonne trucks for storage. If those 8,333 trucks were lined up, the total length would be 100km - the distance from Bangkok to Sara Buri province.

Who am I to doubt the MWA figures for water consumption given their history of wild guesses! I would think 100k m3 to be way on the high side?

Given that on average rice needs approx 1,432 liters to produce one kg, even with the worst estimate above of the "wasted" water, it would produce a mere 70,000 kg of rice, how much is still stock pilled in the warehouses?

I say let people have their fun and celebrate!