Businesses in the Eastern Economic Corridor will have enough water to last until summer next year, the government assured on Monday, following concerns about water shortages in the area.
The EEC is a special economic zone which stretches across parts of Rayong, Chon Buri and Chachoengsao — a flagship project of the previous administration.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin, the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR) has diverted water from canals and other waterways in the Chao Phraya and Pasak river basins to feed Bang Phra reservoir, which is one of the EEC's primary water sources, via Klong Phra Ong Chaiyanuchit.
As a result, the reservoir has enough water to supply industries in the EEC, despite the lower-than-average rainfall observed throughout this year, which was caused by the El Nino phenomenon.
In fact, when other water sources in the EEC are considered, authorities are confident that there will be enough water to supply industries and local residents until the end of summer next year, he said.
ONWR secretary-general Surasee Kittimonthon said authorities regularly divert water from the Chao Phraya and Pasak river basins to the reservoir each year, but they have never had to divert this much water before.
In 2015, when authorities began recording the volume of water diverted into the reservoir, they noted 26 million cubic metres of water were channeled into the Bang Phra reservoir.
The number jumped to 64 million m³ this year, up from 15 million m³ last year.
Despite the water diverted into the reservoir, upstream water sources have been unaffected, he said.
The diversion was carried out jointly by the ONWR, the Royal Irrigation Department, Eastern Water Resources Development and Management, the Provincial Waterworks Authority and other related agencies.
Authorities began diverting water into the reservoir on July 8. They were supposed to finish on Nov 30, but they decided to extend it until Dec 15.
