Dams
- Thailand Weather Updates
Flood prevention measures secure Phetchaburi for monsoon season
The province of Phetchaburi is preparing in advance this year for monsoon-induced flooding from September to October, with measures in place to minimise damage and inconvenience to locals. Key to these flood prevention efforts is the Kaeng Krachan and Mae Prachan dams, both currently low and ready to absorb the impending rainfall. Each year, Phetchaburi experiences flooding during the rainy…
- World News
Indian official drains dam searching for lost phone during selfie mishap
Indian official suspended after draining millions of litres from a local reservoir to retrieve a dropped mobile phone while taking a selfie, causing controversy and disciplinary action for involved personnel. Rajesh Vishwas, a 32 year old food safety officer, accidentally dropped his Samsung S23 Ultra worth 39,900 baht (US$1,144) in a three-metre deep reservoir during a picnic with friends. Despite…
- Thailand Weather Updates
20 major dams and reservoirs in Thailand present overflow risk
Thailand’s Office of the National Water Resources has requested that irrigation officials be ready to manage the discharge of excess water from 20 major dams and reservoirs. The heavy monsoon rains this year have led to potentially dangerous overflow conditions. Officials from the ONWR have instructed people living downstream to prepare for high levels of water being discharged from the dams,…
- Northern Thailand News
3 northeastern dams set to reach full capacity by November
3 major dams in the northeastern Thai province Nakhon Ratchasima will likely be completely full by November, as heavy rain is forecasted from late this month into October, says National Water Resources secretary general Somkiat Prajamwong, today. Somkiat adds that NWR is closely monitoring the situation. Today, the Lam Takong Dam holds 214 million cubic metres of water or about…
- World News
Thai government threaten to boycott new Lao hydro electric dam project
Loas officials have announced the announcement of yet another Laos hydro electric dam and Thai authorities aren’t happy. The long list of Laos and Chinese dams along the Mekong River have hugely affected the life of communities downstream of the Mekong in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. And Laos. The Lao PDR has been described as South East Asia’s ‘battery’ and…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Deadly floods, Chiang Rai Covid cases, Mekong Forum | December 7
Southern Thailand flood death toll: 24 At least 24 people have now been reported to have died due to flash floods in Southern Thailand following a week of heavy rain. 19 of the victims were in Nakhon Si Thammarat which was hit the hardest. Today, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported 3 more deaths from flooding in the…
- Covid-19 News
China re-affirms commitment to cooperate with Thailand over Covid vaccine
China is re-affirming its commitment to cooperate with Thailand over potential Covid-19 vaccines after its Chinese Ambassador to Thailand’s meeting with the Deputy PM Prawit today. Yang Xin furthered the partnership by offering China’s guidance and equipment support to facilitate testing, research and sourcing of an anti-Covid vaccine. Xin, the Chinese Charge d’Affaires, emphasised the importance of a good relationship…
- Environment News
Phuket plans a drought-proof future
In the high season of 2018/2019 a water shortage emerged on Phuket and reached a critical phase just as the wet season of 2019 began. For a few months there seemed to be more water trucks delivering expensive water to residents than tourist passenger vans on the road (usually ubiquitous). Phuket’s three water sources were critically low, one of them…
- Thai Life
Thailand’s reservoirs and dams reaching critically low levels
The start of the annual wet season isn’t far away, maybe this month, but Thailand’s water sources are running on empty. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported today, that Thailand has seen a large drop of useable water in dams and reservoirs by an average of 30% of their capacity, due to the lack of rain in the…
- World News
Cambodia delays damming the Mekong for 10 years
Cambodia announced yesterday that it will shelve developing new hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River for the next decade. A senior Cambodian official made the announcement as Cambodia reviews its policy to seek solar energy as well as energy from coal and natural gas. The Mekong river sustains some 60 million people and flows through six countries… China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos,…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Thai water officials warn local authorities to get ready for shortages
The Office of the National Water Resources is warning that water stored in the country’s large and medium size dams is now dropping to the minimum useable level, urging measures from local agencies to ease the impact on the public. This warning goes out with another three months of dry season hanging over Thailand’s head. The annual ‘wet season’ kicks…
- Opinion
Phuket’s water supply running on empty
PHOTO: No, it’s not the moon, it’s Bang Neow Dam this week Phuket shuffles into the high season with meagre water reserves and no concrete, sustainable plans to meet the upcoming seasonal water demands. In April this year the local water authority shuffled uncomfortably about the crisis at the end of the 2018/2019 dry season, denying there was a problem…
- Environment News
Phuket’s water bosses claim there will be enough water
PHOTO: Bang Neow Dam in Thalang, just a few muddy ponds Well into the second half of the Phuket wet season and the three main dams are well below capacity, Bang Wad Dam just over 13% capacity and the Bang Neow Dam in Thalang district around 5%, mostly unusable muddy ponds. The newer Khlong Katha in Chalong is at a…
- World News
Dams, politics and greed are killing the mighty Mekong River
Original story by Piyaporn Wongruang – The Nation | PHOTO: Sophie et Fred Dr Chainarong Setthachua, a lecturer and ecology expert at Maha Sarakham University, was at a loss when asked to describe the ongoing Mekong crisis. “The most disastrous situation in history.” Little is being done by governments despite recent stories and stark photos of the dried-bed of a major…
- Northern Thailand News
Department ramps up cloud-seeding to ease drought in the Thailand’s northeast
“…he noted that drought in the middle of a wet season is very unusual.” The Department of Rain-making and Agricultural Aviation is stepping up cloud-seeding efforts to help generate much-needed rain for drought areas in the central-north and north-east regions of the country. Some areas need urgent rains to replenish the region’s eight major and 11 medium-sized reservoirs, where water…
- Northern Thailand News
“No water crisis in the Chao Phraya basin” – Irrigation Department
PHOTO: Bhumibol Dam in Tak when full, now holding only 4% of capacity The Royal Irrigation Department is assuring farmers and residents in the central and north-east that there is no risk of Thailand of severe water shortages. This is despite little rain in some areas during the annual wet season and the low levels of the Chao Phraya River…
- Northern Thailand News
“Worst drought in living memory”, Thai farmers in the north
Parts of Thailand are facing their worst drought in 50 years. Farmers in some parts of the north and north east say that the situation is the “worst in living memory”, as reported in Sanook. Meanwhile, The Meteorological Department says Thailand will experience the worst drought in at least a decade, with average precipitation across large regions of the country falling…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Phuket’s recent rains allow PWA to restore mains pressure around the island
The Chief of Phuket’s Provincial Waterworks Authority says that water pressure to most areas across the island has been restored (but The Thaiger is still getting reports from residents in Kamala and parts of Kathu about low flow or still no water mains pressure). Phuket Town recorded nearly 80mm of rainfall on Saturday night when heavy rains, the first for…
- Phuket News
Army commander visits Phuket residents to discuss water shortage
Lt Gen Pornsak Poonsawat, the Commander of the Fourth Army Region (Southern) in Nakhon Si Thammarat, came to Phuket to visit residents over water shortage issues in Rassada. Lt Gen Pornsak says “we were contacted from the Phuket Governor that Phuket is facing serious water shortages. We have come here with water trucks to help residents to join with other…
- Northern Thailand News
Forecast drought will weaken the Thai economy
Thailand suffers calamities at both ends of the annual weather spectrum – both drought and flood. But as the demands on agriculture grow, with a growing population and the rise of tourists and development, the effects of these two extremes are becoming more apparent. Which leads us to this year’s outlook of lower rains which is exposing the poor management…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Roll out the water trucks – Phuket’s water runs low
by Salinee Prap Many areas of Phuket have suffered a shortage of tap water, with inconsistent or no flow, prompting business operators and residents to buy water from the private sector. Phuket as an island, is usually self-sufficient with its water supply, with three large catchments on the island serving locals, expats and the 12 million annual tourists. Phuket governor…
- Phuket News
Water restrictions announced as water levels in Phuket reservoirs drop
The Phuket Waterworks Authority (PWA) has announced a date for water restrictions to start in some Phuket areas. They say the reason is water levels at reservoirs in Phuket are getting low in the dry seasons and they predict it will continue for the next three months. Water will be restricted for residents on even dates starting February 8 for…
- Thailand News
4.9 magnitude earthquake registered in Kanchanaburi
In the latest of a spate of earthquake reports for the region, principally in Indonesia and The Philippines, a report this morning from the Si Sawat district of Kanchanaburi with a tremor registering 4.9 on the Richter scale. No casualties or damage has been recorded. Seismologists report that the quake was two kilometres underground and was sensed in Kanchanaburi, Chai…
- Thai Life
Dam levels low in some regions – Dry season
PHOTO: Srinagarind Dam, Kanchanaburi The Royal Irrigation Department says there be enough water for domestic consumption this dry season. But they acknowledge that water reserves in many dams around the country are running low. The RID director-general, Thongplew Kongjun, is assuring the public that the country will have enough water for domestic consumption and businesses during this dry season. But…
- Phuket News
Dams will cope with this weekend’s weather – Irrigation Department
The water regulation authorities say they’re ready for heavy rains forecast this weekend and the situation is under control. The National Water Resources Office and Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has confirmed that the authorities and the irrigation system were ready to receive large amounts of precipitation during the extraordinary wet period, which is affecting almost every part of the country.…
- Hua Hin News
Flooding in Phuket, Phetchaburi and Mae Hong Son
PHOTO: Samkong underpass, Phuket – Newshawk Bad weather has hit Phang Nga and Phuket this morning whilst the flooding waters from the Kaeng Krachan dam in Phetchaburi are now reaching the main business district. In Phuket the major arteries are being clogged by flooding waters creating havoc for this morning’s peak hour. The Marine Office has issued a warning for…
- Thailand News
Eight Thai dams on ‘floodwatch’
The Mekong River is steadily dropping, but a ‘flood watch’ is on for some central north-eastern dams as well as two dams south of Bangkok. The Office of National Water Resources secretary-general Somkiat Prajumwong says the department is keeping a close watch on eight large-sized dams which are holding water at alarming levels. The eight dams are Nam Phung dam…
- Hua Hin News
Phetchaburi town prepares for a soggy weekend
Phetchaburi town residents have their mops, buckets and sandbags ready for a wet weekend as they fend off the run-off from upstream dams. The Royal Irrigation Department say they’ve done their best to stem the flow from the overflowing dams but expect the remaining floodwaters to hit the Muang district over the coming weekend. The department expects the volume of…
