Farmers along Chee river banks told to quickly harvest and to evacuate as Ubonrat damn will increase releasing excess water tomorrow

 

 

MAHA SARAKAM: -- Irrigation officials are now warning people living along the banks of Chee river in Khon Kaen, Nong Bua Lampoo and Maha Sarakham provinces to prepare for evacuation and farmers immediately harvest their rice crops as they will increase water discharge from the Ubonrat dam after water storage is now over the dam's capacity.

 

Currently farmers are suffering from the water discharge after it submerged their paddy fields which are now being  harvested.

The warning was issued for the three provinces along the Chee river to get ready for rising water after more water is

discharged.

 

The deputy governor of Khon Kaen province Mr Suwapong Kitipatpibul said now water stores in the Ubonrat reservoir is 2,471 million cubic metres or 101.65% which is over the storage capacity of the dam.

 

He said if water discharge of 15 million cubic metres per day now is increased to 21 million cubic metres tomorrow, downstream residents along the river banks will be affected.

 

He instructed them to get ready to move their belongings to higher ground and monitor the water level closely.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/farmers-along-chee-river-banks-told-to-quickly-harvest-and-to-evacuate-as-ubonrat-damn-will-increase-releasing-excess-water-tomorrow/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-11-16

More droughts in 3 months time to look forward to then...

"No flooding this year". " Winters arrived". "No flooding this year".  "Winters arrived". "No flooding this year".  "Winters arrived". 

Boy when they're right, they're right. Rained here yesterday, and the day before, and the day before ..etc. and hot.

I'm sure someone can explain why this ISN"T due to climate change.

Climate change or poor drainage?   Or perhaps a bit of both?

7 hours ago, dinsdale said:

"No flooding this year". " Winters arrived". "No flooding this year".  "Winters arrived". "No flooding this year".  "Winters arrived". 

Boy when they're right, they're right. Rained here yesterday, and the day before, and the day before ..etc. and hot.

I'm sure someone can explain why this ISN"T due to climate change.

Do you think it might be useful for the rest of us to know what you mean by "here"?

 

8 hours ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

Climate change or poor drainage?   Or perhaps a bit of both?

Poor drainage causing rainfall in November?

Not much time to harvest then? A bit of forward planning might have given more notice for the farmers? Am i the first to observe that Thais are not good at planning?

2 hours ago, LawrenceN said:

Do you think it might be useful for the rest of us to know what you mean by "here"?

 

Well they've told us many times there would be no flooding this year yet flooding has occurred and now they're telling farmers that they're about to be flooded. It's also been raining quite a bit (very heavy wet season rain at times) where i live ("here" just sw of bkk) and still quite hot. Heavy rains in November and still hot.? 10 or less years ago (i've been here 14 yrs) this was never the case. Come October the rains would stop and it would cool down. This seems to have changed in the last 5 yrs or so. 

Having said this today is looking more hopeful that the season may have finally changed. I hope so.

Hope this clears things up.