DMR says quakes affecting dams in Thailand unlikely

BANGKOK, 22 April 2016 (NNT) – The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has made known that the likelihood of an earthquake damaging one of the Kingdom’s dams is extremely low.

Kaset University researcher Suthisak Sornlam stated during his speech titled “Can Foreign Earthquakes Impact Thailand?” that the likelihood of an earthquake resulting in damage at a Thai dam is only 1 percent.

He said that the quake would have to measure no less than 7.5 on the Richter scale and its placement relative to the dam would also be a major factor, summarizing that such circumstances are highly unlikely.

He noted nonetheless that attention should be given to surveying fault lines and monitoring their activity as well as to holding earthquake response drills.

DMR expert Suwit Kosuwan said earthquakes of magnitude 7 and up only occur in Thailand every 1,000 years. While acknowledging that such quakes can take place in neighboring Myanmar ever 100 years, he said the possibility of a major quake impacting Thailand was low. He still urged the public to learn from recent tremors that have caused widespread damage and impact in countries such as Japan and Ecuador.


-- NNT 2016-04-22

Bloody foreign earthquakes! Better luck next time.

What about foreign storms or foreign tornadoes? I heard farang Hurricanes are the worst.

Yes and that mag 7 or above could be in 500 years or it could be tomorrow.

If thailand suffered a mag 7, the dams would be the least of their problems compared to the damage due to poor building construction everywhere.

Another useless, unqualified and uneducated official announcement.

Dm and Dmr....

Nice thought, but in many areas subject to frequent earthquakes a common danger is not from the dams themselves but often from landslides that cause nearby hillsides to collapse into the water itself and thereby causing the water to slosh over the dam structure called overtopping, and thus causing a flood in the associated river.

As in Japan, for example.

Hmm, related to King Canute by any chance?

God help them if it happened in Bangkok.

There is three major fault and three minor fault lines that run through Thailand , according to my geology book on Thailand , mother nature will decide what magnitude will happen and where, just because something hasn't happened for a thousand years not necessarily means it won't , 7. 5 upwards will result in catastrophic damage, which will damage dams near the epicentre, but don't worry every building will be destroyed as well , the best outcome would be for one to happen at midday............. .

At least right now there's relatively little water behind the dams, if there were to be a non-foreign quake, and one were to be damaged.

What's a foreign EARTHquake - a quake on the moon

Oh Yes,and this was the same leader that said 4 years ago that none of the dams up north were in danger of failure.I think that was just before our dam failures and floods.

"…quakes affecting dams in Thailand unlikely."

If this statement is as credible as the many glass bowl predictions made about droughts and floods, I know what is going to happen.

The most interesting thing is that Bangkok like My home City of Christchurch is build on a swamp and near the sea. So in the event of a sizable quake they can look forward liquifaction as well as wide spread building collapses. Fun times to come. I pray I never see.

The most interesting thing is that Bangkok like My home City of Christchurch is build on a swamp and near the sea. So in the event of a sizable quake they can look forward liquifaction as well as wide spread building collapses. Fun times to come. I pray I never see.

“Can Foreign Earthquakes Impact Thailand?”

This has got to be in the top ten funniest things I have heard coming out of a Thai officials mouth.

And living in California for 55 years and looking at the construction standards in Thailand, including modern condos,

the Thais had better be able the stop the quake at the border.

Edited April 22, 201610 yr by NCC1701A

The most interesting thing is that Bangkok like My home City of Christchurch is build on a swamp and near the sea. So in the event of a sizable quake they can look forward liquifaction as well as wide spread building collapses. Fun times to come. I pray I never see.

yes having lived through the Symar quake of 1971, 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, Landers in 1992, Northridge quake in 1994, I saw first hand the effects of liquefaction.

I watched the Thais build a huge condo near me, no concrete pylons to bedrock, and this building is at sea level and in a drained tidal pool area next to the beach.

I would say it is unlikely. When you say something like that the opposite happens

I am sure immigration is well able to stop foreign quakes getting through the border - it is not as if they are coming with visas.

Once every thousand years, isn't that about the same frequency as a major tsunami? Also activity in other fault lines can trigger faults which have been dormant as stresses are transferred along plate boundaries. How many years has it been since the last 7+ quake here? 999?

At least a major natural disaster would divert people from thinking about democracy for a while.

Thai earthquakes know better than to occur near a dam.

Thai earthquakes know better than to occur near a dam.

A Thai earthquake would never do such a thing

Thai earthquakes know better than to occur near a dam.

A Thai earthquake would never do such a thing

A Thai earthquake even knows how to Wai..Pen din wai. They are gentle and polite, like the Thai people.