Thailand is facing its worst drought in eight years this year, particularly in the northern region. But there is also a bright spot: most water reservoirs in the North and Northeast contain enough water for irrigation and domestic use.
Floods claim nine lives; water level in reservoirs rises
The floods have killed nine people so far. In two reservoirs the water is at a worryingly high level. The rising water level in the reservoirs along the Chao Praya is a cause for concern; some areas along the river may be flooded this weekend. A strong monsoon will sweep across the country until Sunday.
The weather gods are not very favorable to Songkran this year. Due to the drought in recent months, the water reservoirs are only 54 percent full. Revelers, don't waste water, warns the Provincial Waterworks Authority.
News from Thailand – February 4
The water level in the country's major reservoirs will be significantly reduced in the coming months to prevent them from containing too much water at the start of the rainy season, as was the case last year. Last year's floods were exacerbated as large volumes of water had to be discharged in September and October after several tropical storms.
Thai news in brief – January 11
Thailand has barely recovered from last year's floods when there are already warnings of a new flood. The reservoirs contain far too much water. "This is definitely a worrying sign," said Smith Tharmasaroja, former head of the Meteorological Department.
'No natural disaster; reservoirs filled with water for too long'
The current heavy floods are not a natural disaster, says Smith Dharmasajorana. His explanation is as shocking as it is plausible: the managers of the large reservoirs have held water for far too long for fear that they would run out of water during the dry season. Now they have to discharge huge amounts of water at the same time and combined with the rains, this results in all kinds of misery, from Nakhon Sawan to Ayutthaya. Smith should know, as he is a former director general of…
Reservoirs will discharge more water
Today the tap will open on the Bhumibol and Sirikit dam, the two largest dams in the country. Both reservoirs are bursting with water from the North, so water has to be discharged. This inevitably leads to flooding downstream. The Bhumibol reservoir has reached 94,3 percent of its capacity, Sirikit 99,19 percent. Bhumibol's water delivery will increase from 80 million cubic meters of water per day to 100 million. Sirikit does it something…
Six dams are in danger of collapsing under water pressure
Six reservoirs in the northeast are so full of water that the dams are in danger of collapsing. Significantly more water will now have to be discharged from it, which means that more flooding is to be expected. The only bright spot in all the water misery is Chiang Mai. There the water begins to recede. The water level in the Ping River dropped to 3,7 meters last night. The six threatened dams are the Sirindhorn and Pak Moon in Ubon Ratchatani, the Chulabhorn and…