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This column is for self-study or classroom use and gives guided help with reading the wide variety of writing styles and topics that appear as feature articles in the Bangkok Post. The lessons include background information, skill-building practice and vocabulary explanations. August 9, 2005 Focusing on water INTRODUCTION

TEACHERS Reading the Bangkok Post everyday allows me to follow stories as they develop and to make connections with what has been previously reported. Here is a connection that can make a very interesting lesson indeed. A week or so ago, our deputy news editor devoted his weekly commentary to the water problem and accused the government of failing to take a long-term approach to solving it. He also criticised current government measures to solve the water shortage in the Eastern Seaboard region as doing more harm than good. Since these are the same measures discussed in today’s story – actions that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said would solve the problem – we have the basis of a thought-provoking debate. I suggest that you divide the class into small groups. Half the class could read the story entitled Thaksin: No water crisis and their job would be to explain what the government is doing to solve the water shortage on the Eastern Seaboard, both in the short-term and the long-term. The other half would read and consider Mr Wasant’s commentary, also printed below. I have edited it to about half its original size, keeping only his direct references to the water crisis. When both are finished, first let the government side present its case and then open it to rebuttal from those who have read the commentary. Encourage your students to speak in a persuasive manner. If the activity is done well it can be a lot of fun and it is also good preparation for analysing future stories on the same topic. STUDENTS At the time of writing, the five-day forecast for the Eastern Seaboard area of Thailand was for mostly cloudy skies with possible thunderstorms. The rain would be welcome, but it doesn’t sound like it will be enough to make much of a difference to the level of water in storage there. It is not a crisis, however. That is what Prime Minister Thaksin is saying in response to those local businessmen who seem to think that it is. Read the story to find out why Mr Thaksin believes the area will receive enough water to carry out business as usual. Watch this story closely as it develops, because some analysts are suggesting that despite what government officials are saying, many businesses will be forced to cut production in the near future because the water supply will not be adequate.

OUR STORIES FROM THE BANGKOK POST Thaksin: No water crisis Supplies fall in East, contrary to PM’s claim APINYA WIPATAYOTIN Water levels in Rayong province’s two main reservoirs have been declining, despite Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s assertion on Saturday during his weekly radio address that they had risen thanks to rain. Mr Thaksin expressed frustration during his radio address over a series of comments from business operators along the industrial Eastern Seaboard about there being inadequate water supplies for industry. He challenged members of the Federation of Thai Industries to, “accompany responsible ministers who will then go to the area to solve the problem”. “We are very concerned about the water crisis in the eastern provinces. As you can see, we have introduced many programmes to minimise the problem,” Mr Thaksin said. “These programmes are designed to bring an end to short-term and long-term problems. I would like the critics to join us so they can see what we are doing now. I would like to reassure them the government can control the situation. There will be no water crisis in the East.” A special task force on water crisis management in Rayong was being led by Deputy Prime Minister Pinij Jarusombat, and included Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat, he said. Recent reports have quoted entrepreneurs in the Eastern Seaboard as complaining about a water shortage that might lead them to cut back production, particularly in the petrochemical industry. Mr Thaksin said during his radio address on Saturday that water levels at two reservoirs serving the eastern industrial zone – Nong Pla Lai and Dok Krai – had increased due to rain. But according to the Royal Irrigation Department’s website, the Nong Pla Lai reservoir held 21 million cubic metres on July 1 and had dropped to 16.36 million cu/m by July 23. During the same period, the water stored in the Dok Krai reservoir had dropped from 9.42 million cu/m to 8.46 million cu/m. The government has spent over two billion baht in its bid to cope with the crisis. The government’s short-term solution was to divert water from the province’s rivers to the reservoirs. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment plans to drill at least 290 artesian wells to obtain 150,000-180,000 cu/m a day to supply the Eastern Seaboard. Rainmaking efforts are expected to add 300,000-400,000 cu/m per day to the reservoirs. Over the longer term, the government plans to build more reservoirs and hydro- power plants along the Thai-Cambodian border so water used for generating electricity can be diverted to reservoirs in Thailand. The Eastern Seaboard is reported to consume 500,000 cu/m of water a day. crisis a time of great danger, difficult or uncertainty reservoirs natural or artificial lakes where water is stored assertion a statement that you strongly believe something to be true frustration the feeling of being annoyed or impatient task force a group of people who are brought together to deal with a particular problem entrepreneurs people who earn money by starting or running businesses bid an attempt divert to cause to change direction artesian wells holes in the ground from which water is forced by natural pressure Quick fixes won’t solve water problem Wasant Techawongtham (Deputy News Editor, Bangkok Post) SAROT MEKSOPHAWANNAKUL Agricultural and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan has just announced a plan to retain water in two major rivers on the east coast. The Bang Pakong dam, which has lain dormant since construction was completed because of its severe environmental impact, will be reactivated. A rock dam will be built at the mouth of Rayong River. A pipeline system would be installed to link major reservoirs and water sources. All would be done within a short time but without a plan to study the environmental impact. This follows a recent cabinet resolution to spend 428 million baht to drill 290 artesian wells to supply up to 200,000 cubic metres of water per day to the industrial sector. The government has already ordered the drilling of more than 4,000 wells countrywide during the past dry spell. (The government) has failed to consider that the water crisis in the East – right in the rainy season – may be a clear sign that the water situation in this country has entered a lasting crisis stage that will not respond to short-term fixes. There have been earlier signs that warn about this impending doom, notably the annual dry weather and water shortages which, like the oil crisis, is worsening by the year. The extensive exploitation of underground water is a major concern. The depletion of underground water will lead to land subsidence and general dryness in forests, and quicken the process of desertification where it has already begun. Underground water is like untapped oil in the ground, which will only become more valuable as time goes by. But while oil may be substituted by other forms of energy, there is simply no substitute for fresh water. Water will in time probably be the most valuable resource on Earth. The deteriorating water situation calls for long-term conservation and rehabilitation of water sources, rather than the short-term fixes that will inevitably lead to deterioration of the country’s natural resources that benefit only a handful of well-connected people. quick fix something done in a hurry to solve a problem, but which will not help for very long dormant not active reservoirs natural or artificial lakes where water is stored artesian wells holes in the ground from which water is forced by natural pressure impending (of something unpleasant) expected to happen soon doom a terrible event that you cannot avoid exploitation the use of land, oil, minerals, etc. depletion using up; reduction by a large amount subsidence the process by which land sinks to a lower level than normal or when a building sinks into the ground desertification the process of changing into a very dry area – a desert untapped available but not yet used deteriorating becoming worse rehabilitation the process of restoring to a previous good or healthy condition • This lesson is adapted from the Bangkok Post’s You Can Read website. For more inspiring lesson ideas, log on to www.bangkokpost.com/youcanread. Read our other learner centre columns here. Return to our home page. | © The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. All rights reserved 2005 | Last modified: August 8, 2005