Don’t waste a drop

Don’t waste a drop

Saving water should be at the top of the agenda over the Thai new year for both revellers and gardeners alike

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Don’t waste a drop
Hardy: Agave, bougainvillea, plumeria, sansevieria and croton are all drought-resistant plants.

It is a Thai custom to make merit on religious and other important holidays. This Songkran, three days of celebration which starts tomorrow, you can be sure that large crowds will be converging on Sanam Luang and major temples in Bangkok and the provinces to make merit by giving alms to monks.

Pouring water on people is another tradition that marks the Thai new year. Although the centres of revelry for both Thai and foreign tourists are Chiang Mai and Bangkok’s Khao San Road, all over the country you are likely to get a dousing if you go out during Songkran. In provincial towns, youngsters go on a water splashing spree, driving around on pickups loaded with water tanks and buckets to splash one another, all in the name of fun.

I know that traditions are difficult to change, but how great would it be if, instead of wasting such a great amount of water on getting one another wet, people used it instead to douse trees along roads in their community or district. Normally, these trees only get water when it rains, so throwing water over them during Songkran would not only give them much needed moisture during the hot summer months, but help cleanse their dirt-clogged leaves so that they could breathe easier. We could put this down as a form of making merit; giving back something to the trees that beautify our surroundings and purify the air we breathe.

Water is a precious commodity that should be used with care. Although it has rained over the past few weeks, this has hardly relieved the drought being experienced in many provinces. In Phuket, my daughter Nalinee uses water she saves from washing clothes and dishes to water her plants. She lives in the compound of the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, whose supply of water is delivered by truck at a cost of 90 baht per cubic metre, up from 32 baht last year, so she and her fellow researchers living in the compound have to use water sparingly. The drastic increase in price reflects the scarcity of water on the research institute’s side of the island.

Thailand’s population is expected to exceed 70 million this year. The ever increasing population, coupled with agricultural and industrial expansion, will put even more strain on the water supply. This at a time when changing climate patterns have diminished the annual rainfall that feeds the country’s reservoirs, as attested to by this year’s droughts.

At least no place in Thailand has yet reached the stage where water use restrictions are imposed, as is happening in California. As the state enters its fourth year of severe drought, Governor Jerry Brown recently ordered the Water Resource Control Board to implement measures to reduce water use by 25%. The measures prohibit, effective from April 15, watering of lawns and landscapes with potable water and use of fountains and decorative water features that do not recirculate water, among others. Failure to follow the statewide restrictions may result in fines or the shutting off of water services.

thirsty: Left, roadside trees usually get water only when it rains. party time:

Right, pickups loaded with Songkran revellers stop for a traffic light at an intersection in Phetchabun province.

Be it in California or Bangkok, or anywhere in Thailand for that matter, gardeners can save water by grouping their plants accordingly. Do not grow ferns, bromeliads and herbaceous plants that need to be watered daily, or every other day, alongside species that can do without water for a week or so. This way, you only have to water those that need it the most.

By growing drought resistant species, otherwise known as xerophytic plants, you don’t only save on water. Imagine the amount of time and energy that you will save if you water your plants only once a week instead of every day. There are many drought resistant plants you can grow. With just bougainvillea and plumeria, whose flowers come in a wide range of colours and which bloom best in dry conditions, you can have a very colourful garden.

Agave, sansevieria, dracaena and croton come in many different varieties and colour combinations, all of which can be incorporated to form a beautiful landscape. And I have not even mentioned cacti and succulents yet.

Potted plants have to be watered more often than those planted in the ground as their roots cannot browse the soil for moisture. Therefore, to use less water it is best to transplant the above mentioned plants in the ground. Mix the soil with equal amounts of crushed bricks and leaf mould. Water regularly until they are well established, after which you can water them just once a week, or even once in two weeks. n


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