A water shortage, caused by an El Niño-induced drought, in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) could be avoided as water supplies have been prepared for factories to help them get through the dry season this year, says the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT).
There are 41 industrial estates housing 6,000 factories in the EEC, which covers parts of Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao. Their demand for water stands at 1.5 million cubic metres a day.
"The IEAT has prepared 1.18 million cubic metres for the factories which will also receive water from various sources," said Veeris Ammarapala, the governor of the IEAT.
The additional water supply includes the purchase of raw water from companies and the use of wastewater retreatment to reuse the water.
The authority also has water reserves amounting to 1.6 million cubic metres from the Nam Hu and Tubma canals.
The EEC has four reservoirs, with the amount of raw water currently standing at 52% of total capacity.
"Authorities are confident sufficient water will be supplied to factories, the agricultural sector as well as to support people's consumption until the rainy season which will start between May and June," said Mr Veeris.
The IEAT has implemented measures to mitigate the impact of drought on business operations, focusing on the 3Rs -- reduce, reuse and recycle --within industrial estates.
The ongoing drought poses risks to the country's economy, including a potential decrease in GDP, impacts on manufacturing, exports and the agricultural sector due to reduced production capacity.
The government has projected that the average rainfall across Thailand in 2024 will be 24% lower than normal.
Last year, the drought crisis significantly impacted Thailand's rainfall, resulting in a 40% decrease compared to normal levels. Specifically, the Eastern region experienced a more severe decline of around 60%.
Drought resulted in a 5.94% decrease in Thailand's industrial GDP in 2020 and a 4.12% drop in 2021, according to the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking.