Popular Phayao lake succumbs to drought

Popular Phayao lake succumbs to drought

A monk carries out a rite to bless Kwan Phayao, seeking an end to the widespread drought that has crippled the popular lake and damaged the province's economy. (Photos by Saiarun Pinaduang)
A monk carries out a rite to bless Kwan Phayao, seeking an end to the widespread drought that has crippled the popular lake and damaged the province's economy. (Photos by Saiarun Pinaduang)

When the tourism season peaked at Songkran last month, few visitors were seen at Kwan Phayao, the largest freshwater lake in the North and a popular holiday spot in Phayao province.

The lake is normally thronged with tourists from many corners of the country during the summer months. But today it is a victim of the worst dry spell the country has experienced in decades.

Precious rain which has accompanied freak storms in recent days has fallen across many areas of the upper North, giving residents some long-awaited respite. But it is far from sufficient to reverse the effects of the drought.

The vastness of Kwan Phayao translates into a huge volume of water for residents who rely heavily on the lake for their livelihood.

Though Kwan Phayao, covering more than 12,000 rai in Muang district, has been battered by drought many times, locals say the current dry spell is the worst they have encountered in three decades.

Water supplies in the lake are now sufficient for producing tap water only. A sign has been erected to rally residents in a campaign to use water sparingly.

The sign -- featuring a gauge of the lake's total water volume and what is left of usable supplies, as well as how many days that amount for consumption will last -- is prominently display around the lake.

The water level has dropped so dramatically that it now exposes the concrete bases of twin naga statues and a golden pagoda that were once submerged. The structures are built 100 metres from shore and are recognised as landmarks of Kwan Phayao.

Residents and villagers form synchronised letters as part of a campaign to save water in drought-stricken Kwan Phayao.

The drought has not only reduced tap water to a trickle, but also diminished the revenue stream for vendors around the lake.

A som tam hawker said her income has slumped dramatically as visitors dwindle. The locals' plight is compounded by the blanketing haze from slash-and-burn farming which has choked the North for months.

"Normally, Kwan Phayao is bustling with both Thai and foreign visitors during the Songkran holidays, but not this year because there is hardly any water left here," she said.

Ratchanok Jaisaard, a worker at the pier for Wat Tilok Aram -- an ancient temple that is normally mostly submerged in the lake, but which is now in full view -- said visitors are few and far between.

Visitors need to board a ferry to pay their respects to the revered Buddha image, called Luang Poh Sila, enshrined among the temple's ruins in the middle of the lake. The number of tourists to the attraction has declined by up to 70%.

An elaborate ceremony is organised to revive Kwan Phayao, battered by the worst drought in decades. The ceremony is performed by local monks and drew a large crowd of local residents whose lives depend on the lake.

The ferry is designed to handle a maximum of 20 people. However, the seriously shallow water across much of the lake has forced the boat to take no more than 10 passengers to prevent the vessel from running aground.

"Dredging could be a long-term solution to the drought problem at the lake because it will make the lake deeper, increasinge its water-retention capacity," Ms Ratchanok suggested.

As for local fishing, Somsak Theptun, president of the Kwan Phayao Lake Fishery Network, said although the lake is hit by a dry spell every year, this year's situation is by far one of the worst in recent memory.

Many fishermen stay home these days as venturing out into the shallow water risks damage to their boats.

Not only is the lake's plight a concern to the local fishing industry, but it also threatens to wipe out certain species of indigenous fish.

Mr Somsak has voiced concern that the drought could destroy some strains of fish in the lake, spelling doom for the local fishing industry in the future.

"I haven't seen a more severe drought than this. Fishing boats have to dock because the water level is so low that they have no choice but stay put," a fisherman said.

Drought in Kwan Payaow

As an emergency measure, villagers have sought help from the local administration organisation to dredge the lake to allow ferries and fishing boats to operate.

They are also taking the opportunity to clean up the bed of the lake as the receding water allows them to collect garbage.

Techaphan Manowong, a committee member of the Ing River basin council, said water levels in dams and other catchment areas across the province are also dropping rapidly.

Vast swaths of farmland along the river basin are being devastated.

In Mr Techaphan's view, the severity of the drought is exacerbated by failed water management. Despite the scarcity of water in catchments, watershed forests along the Ing River basin remain fertile and could provide water for the province during the dry season.

He said water reserved in catchment areas along the river basin is available for farming once a year. However, an increase in off-season rice and cash crops is encouraging farmers to divert more water to their farmland, sometimes up to four times a year.

Worse, local authorities and villagers never make plans to replenish water supplies in storage areas.

In Ban San Ton Phueng in tambon Mae Ing, villagers last month built a weir along the Rong Phai River, a small branch of the Ing River, to preserve water supplies for wet-season rice farming.

However, residents in a nearby village decided to pipe the water to their 30 to 40 rai of watermelon orchards situated along the Mae Ing River basin in tambon Mae Ing of Phu Kham Yao district and tambon Dong Suwan of Dok Kham Tai district.

The sandy bed of the lake is exposed in many areas.

Even though dredging Kwan Phayao lake and catchment areas along the Ing River basin would help to battle drought, Mr Techaphan insisted the key to effectively addressing the water shortage is to step up efforts to conserve watersheds in the forests.

He said a sound water management plan should be created to serve sustainable agriculture, not industrial agriculture.

Somkiate Kueanchiangsa, coordinator of a northern river basin network, said there are 33 large and 367 mid-sized dams around the country, along with more than 4,000 small reservoirs.

They hold a combined storage capacity of around 74.1 billion cubic metres of water, according to the Royal Irrigation Department (RID).

"We may have many dams and reservoirs. But there's no masking the fact that every single one of them hardly has any water. And we can't even find the water to lift the levels," Mr Somkiate said.

He said using water sparingly does not solve the drought problem at its root. Instead, the government and the public should turn to conserving the watershed areas of forests, of which more than 90% have been damaged by human activity.

As for cash crops such as rubber trees, Mr Somkiate said, the government should encourage growers to opt for alternative crops which are more sustainable and which will help boost plant biodiversity throughout the country.

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