With Songkran just a few days away, it seems we are counting down to insanity. It may sound like I'm being a killjoy, but I mean it.
Thais take great pride in this water festival, acting as if it exclusively belongs to us, forgetting that Songkran - which marks the Lunar New Year - is part of the culture of most parts of Southeast Asia. Massive PR campaigns make the Thai Songkran internationally famous, with Khao San Road a major tourist destination.
We went mad when our neighbour Singapore announced last month it wanted to play host to a Songkran event and lure tourists to the island. It was a relief to many when Singapore made an about-face, citing the need to conserve water amid a shortage.
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But wait. Do we fare better regarding the water situation?
The Irrigation Department has issued a series of warnings about water shortages as drought has tightened its grip on large parts of the country in recent weeks. The situation is so serious that the department has urged rice farmers to refrain from planting an off-season crop. But nothing is mentioned about how we can enjoy Songkran in a responsible way.
On Tuesday, the Irrigation Office in Chiang Mai announced plans to ensure it will not be a dry Songkran this year for the northern province - it will siphon some 6 million cubic metres of water from local reservoirs for everyone to enjoy. Authorities insisted there will be no impact on resource availability for farm and household use. But I really doubt that if the drought goes on a little longer than expected.
In fact, changing weather patterns that have made water resources more scarce should make us rethink the way we celebrate this festival, which over the past decades has transformed from a decent tradition into something rogue.
Much of Bangkok's water comes from the Mae Klong River at the mercy of locals who use it for their orchards. As a city without water resources of its own, Bangkok needs to change the way it takes water for granted.
In addition to the wastage of water, my other concerns are about the disturbing Songkran behaviour and the nuisance involved in travelling during the festival.
I used to travel by train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok during Songkran and witnessed how foreign tourists who boarded the non-airconditioned carriages did not enjoy this festival. At every station, local revellers would throw water into the train, and passengers were left soaking wet from the northern provinces all the way down to Bangkok. Judging from their faces, no one liked this watery treat. Yet those on the platform laughed to themselves at the suffering of others.
Three years ago, I was on the receiving end of inconsiderate revellers. While driving home from lunch, I was trapped in a Songkran parade. My narrow soi in Phasi Charoen district has been a popular water warfare site for many years. Hot weather seemed to give revellers a good excuse to come out and enjoy water fights with strangers. Dozens of trucks carrying revellers simply stopped at whim along the soi, where their passengers would throw water at one another or to fill up large tanks. Needless to say, traffic crawled to a standstill. It took me more than an hour to escape the 1.5km stretch of road. It was hellish, but no police officers turned up to help manage traffic.
I learned some lessons. Last year I stocked up on food and locked myself in at home, saving myself from insanity. This year, things will be the same: traffic snarls, lousy dancing and deafening music. My soi will be wet and filthy with hardened talcum powder that revellers use to paste each other's face and body. Is this a decent tradition?
Basically, Songkran for me is a time to stay home - a safe place from inconsiderate revellers. The roads are not safe amid the mass exodus from Bangkok, as many motorists are drunk and reckless. Although transport authorities and traffic police have pledged to tighten law enforcement during the festival in a bid to reduce accidents and fatalities, which have remained high for more than a decade, I am not optimistic.
I don't doubt their good intentions, but I just don't believe in the practicality. Fostering traffic discipline is a long-term job. We cannot expect bad drivers to turn their behaviour around in just one short campaign.
Ploenpote Atthakor is Deputy Editorial Pages Editor, Bangkok Post.