PM Prayut orders solution to increasing water level at Bhumibol Dam

[webfact]

PM orders solution to increasing water level at Bhumibol Dam

BANGKOK, 26 May 2016 (NNT) - Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed a relevant agency to divert water into Bhumibol Dam, as the reservoir has plummeted to its lowest levels.

Gen Prayut said there is only 50 million cubic meters of water in Bhumibol Dam. The premier told related units to take no risks and quickly implement plans to store more water before the rainy season.

The Ministry of Interior and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have also been instructed to ensure the flood management system in Bangkok is functional. Certain areas of the capital are often inundated on days with heavy rain, due to ineffective drainage.

In Sisaket province, the ongoing drought crisis has forced some farmers to burn grass in an area adjacent to Huai Ta Mai Reservoir to pave the way for the next season of rice growing. Local residents have urged authorities to take the necessary steps to prevent additional trespassing.


-- NNT 2016-05-26

[Reigntax]

The solution. Rain!

Alternatively re route the rainmaking and anti hail squadrons.

[Chang_paarp]

The folly of King Kanute comes to mind, in this case ordering rain rather than the halting of the tide.

[Reigntax]

The folly of King Kanute comes to mind, in this case ordering rain rather than the halting of the tide.

Or in the PM's case, constantly pissing into the wind.

[NongKhaiKid]

Invoke Art 44 and order Mother Nature to produce more rain, or else !

[mtls2005]

Throw a brick into what remains of the water, on the upstream side of the dam of course.

[jamesbrock]

store more water before the rainy season

Um, shouldn't more water be stored before the dry season?

Considering the NOAA has revised the probability of La Nina conditions developing to 75%, and we all remember what occurred during the last La Nina, wouldn't it be wise to have as much storage capacity available as possible?

[deckape]

store more water before the rainy season

Um, shouldn't more water be stored before the dry season?

Considering the NOAA has revised the probability of La Nina conditions developing to 75%, and we all remember what occurred during the last La Nina, wouldn't it be wise to have as much storage capacity available as possible?

Stop. Using. Logic. The laws of reason have been suspended in favor of Article 44.

[ezzra]

The PM solutions is to divert water from another place like the Niagara falls the Nile, the Amazon

or the Yellow river to a place that need water, the problem is that those rivers are NOT in Thailand,

and as there're only so much water available in this country, we all need to

pray hard to the god or rain making and dance in his honor

in the hope that this will solve Thailand's water woes, as other measures are to hard or too

complicated to implement.....

[canopy]

I gather their operating procedure is not to capture as much water as possible because dams like this are used as buffers to stop flooding downstream in Bangkok. They often bleed off water if the expectation is heavy rains. So when the rains don't come they get caught with their pants down. Last year they attempted to use cloud seeding upstream in an attempt to get the level sufficiently high, but it failed.

[Wilsonandson]

Ask the Chinese to open their dam again?

[chrisinth]

This has all the hallmarks of people getting wet feet if the calculations aren't done right and we get unexpectedly high rainfall when the rainy season hits proper.

Where is he going to divert the water from in the first place?

[macksview]

quiet you naysayers.

the little fella knows all, he only has to say rain and it will, he is not the unchosen one for nothing.

[SABloke]

''Orders'' a solution...he used to come up with solutions Losing his touch is he (or his advisors/puppet masters have stopped handing him cue cards: they don't want to be near him when the ship sinks)

[Kasset Tak]

It's fun to read all the comments saying that the PM is stupid... when Bhumibol dam (the largest dam in Thailand) stop releasing water then Ping river will dry up, when Ping river is dry then it will not be long before those of you who live in BKK will start complaining that the tap water is either salty or there is NO tap water as Ping river is one of the mayor tributaries to Chao Praya river!

[Siamwhiteelephant]

Well done . The headline is worded in such a way as to give its opposite intended meaning.

[Ulic]

I gather their operating procedure is not to capture as much water as possible because dams like this are used as buffers to stop flooding downstream in Bangkok. They often bleed off water if the expectation is heavy rains. So when the rains don't come they get caught with their pants down. Last year they attempted to use cloud seeding upstream in an attempt to get the level sufficiently high, but it failed.

I have read in numerous articles that the cloud seeding has been a resounding success.

[Winniedapu]

A press release a day keeps the voters at bay.

Even if it's fluff or pap.

Here's a couple of facts for the PM.

1. Not all (apparent) change is progress.

2. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic is unlikely to impress very many people.

Winnie

[phoenixdoglover]

Even the NNT, normally a calm refuge from unpleasant realities, is giving off a faint stench of panic these days.

As for the PM's orders, they are trending toward trivial exhortations. He might as well scream, "Do your jobs! By the power vested in me by me, I order you!"

[tuanku]

I gather their operating procedure is not to capture as much water as possible because dams like this are used as buffers to stop flooding downstream in Bangkok. They often bleed off water if the expectation is heavy rains. So when the rains don't come they get caught with their pants down. Last year they attempted to use cloud seeding upstream in an attempt to get the level sufficiently high, but it failed.

I have read in numerous articles that the cloud seeding has been a resounding success.

Written by people with their heads in those same clouds, and for whom wishful thinking translates to actual fact.

[tuanku]

Replanting the Northern forests might help, but you would need to start now to get results in 50 years.

[taony]

This is some article. In consecutive paragraphs "fix the drought! " and "prepare for floods!"

[angiolo]

store more water before the rainy season

Um, shouldn't more water be stored before the dry season?

Considering the NOAA has revised the probability of La Nina conditions developing to 75%, and we all remember what occurred during the last La Nina, wouldn't it be wise to have as much storage capacity available as possible?

Stop. Using. Logic. The laws of reason have been suspended in favor of Article 44.

Logic ....obvious , if you don't take any water out then it may fill up again.LOL

[otherstuff1957]

The dam is only 2% full* at the moment, so I wouldn't worry too much about flooding yet. At this time in 2011, the dam was 22% full.

*It's actually 30% full, but the last 28% is supposed to remain in the reservoir for structural reasons. The water can be pumped out below the 28% level, but there is some risk to the dam's integrity.

[billd766]

Look at this TMD website at the northern part and find the Bhumibol dam.

Total rainfall from 1st of January to this morning has been 78.8 mm for the whole year so far.

http://www.tmd.go.th/programs/uploads/ReportsGenMetnet/Daily/DailyObserved7AM-en.pdf

[Redline]

Huh?

[wabothai]

He has been spending too much time with that tater woman.

[klauskunkel]

PM Prayut orders solution to increasing water level at Bhumibol Dam

[Das Boot]

Read this more carefully. The dam is nearly empty, so they want to fill it before the rains come? At which time it will then be in danger of overflowing and they'll need to take further emergency measures to prevent the overflow. Another potential 2010 flood perhaps? Are the weather forecasters the only people who actually look ahead here?

[billd766]

Read this more carefully. The dam is nearly empty, so they want to fill it before the rains come? At which time it will then be in danger of overflowing and they'll need to take further emergency measures to prevent the overflow. Another potential 2010 flood perhaps? Are the weather forecasters the only people who actually look ahead here?

You also need to read more carefully and do a little research also as to how much water was in the dam before the floods and who was in charge at the time.

What will happen is that the Ping river will start to fill up and that leads into the Chao Phraya down in Chai Nat which is also critically low. That in turn leads eventually into Bangkok which needs the fresh river water to push the sea water back to give Bangkok drinking water.

It will take the best part of 2 years rainfall to get the Bhumibol dam even 75% full because the rice farmer down river will also be using the water. In addition the underground aquifers will also be refilled.

The will be no repeat of the 2010 flood which was caused by a political decision to override ALL of the water departments to make sure that the rice farmers could grow as much rice as possible.

Edited May 27, 2016 by billd766