A renowned academic is urging city dwellers and the industrial sector to conserve water in homes and factories to ensure water supplies will last until August due to a possible delay to the start of the rainy season.
Somkiet U-Prayong, 51, a farmer in Tha Wung district of Lop Buri builds a bamboo stack for his melon plantation. He is following the government’s directive to grow crops that consume less water instead of rice to better deal with the dry season. Patipat Janthong
Seree Supharatid, director of Rangsit University's Centre on Climate Change and Disaster, said yesterday the water situation was extremely worrying as main dams were not at their full capacity.
The combined water volume in the Bhumibhol and Sirikit dams along the Chao Phraya River basin stands at 2 billion cu/m which should be sufficient for people in Bangkok and its outskirts until July, Mr Seree said.
According to the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), Mr Seree said, about 400 million cu/m out of the 2 billion cu/m are allocated for the city and its outskirts, 500 million cu/m for nurturing the ecosystem and 300 million cu/m for landscaping, which has high maintenance costs. He did not say what the rest of water is to be used for.
There are no water reserves for farming, he said, as the government has urged farmers to switch to crops that consume less water due to the expected severe dry season this year.
Water reserves of 400 million cu/m should be enough for the needs of the city and its outskirts over the next two months (between March and April).
The volume of water for consumption in the dams would stand at 1.5 billion cu/m between May and July, according to Mr Seree.
The volume of water should be sufficient for the consumption unless it is diverted for irrigation purposes along its route between the irrigation systems and Bangkok, he noted.
He called on the government to urge farmers not to pump water as it would affect water consumption in the city.
Bangkok is the backbone of the country's economy, Mr Seree said. If the capital faces water a shortage, its administration and the agricultural sales would be affected, he said.
A prolonged period of drought is likely to occur as precipitation is expected to be less than normal between May and July, Mr Seree said, adding rainfall would start in August.
The rainy season in Thailand usually runs from May to November.
Mr Seree urged city residents and the industrial sector to save as much water as possible as they are likely to be affected if efficient water saving does not take place.
He urged the industrial sector to launch water a conservation campaign, adding that industry leaders should take water conservation seriously.
