By Subin Kheunkaew Cheewin Sattha
As the Bhumibol dam plans to release more water to meet the needs of Songkran revellers, farmers in Chiang Mai's Doi Saket district are fighting over water to feed their drought-hit paddy fields.
Tanarat Poommakasikorn, deputy director of the dam in Tak, said yesterday an extra five million cubic metres of water will be released daily from the dam during the five-day-long Songkran Festival, which begins next weekend, to ensure there is enough water to splash around by holidaymakers.
The extra volume will increase the discharge from 38 million cubic metres of water to 43 million cubic metres per day during that period, he said.
Mr Tanarat urged Songkran celebrants to carefully use water as the dam also needs to have enough water for generating electricity to meet the rising demand in summer.
In Chiang Mai, a water shortage has reached crisis point in some villages as farmers have been seen engaging in fistfights over water to feed their farms.
On Thursday, representatives of farmers in three districts turned up at the Mae Kuang dam office in Doi Saket to lodge water shortage complaints.
Since early this year, the office has been flooded with complaints from distressed farmers whose crop yields were in jeopardy due to the insufficient water supply, dam director Wattana Kirakachinda said. "Currently, Mae Kuang dam has only 55 million cubic metres of water, or 20% of its total capacity of 263 million cubic metres.
"The public had earlier been informed that the water level in the Mae Kuang dam was at its lowest level in 10 years, so both urban and rural people should exercise caution on water consumption," he said.
Farmer representative Cherd Sunanta said the higher price of rice has encouraging more farmers to cultivate a second crop since early this year, increasing the demand for water, leading to a water crisis.
Rice farmer Boonying Boonchumjai said many farmers have shrugged off the warning not to overuse water as they have been blinded by the desire to make big profits from selling rice.
Sawat Tawan, a kamnan in tambon Mae Pong, said a water crisis in his neighbourhood has also led to water-hoarding, subsequently creating a violent conflict between two villages.
The protesting farmers demanded the closure of tunnels supplying water to the Chiang Mai waterworks authority, saying Mae Kuang dam was built for only farming purposes, not urban use.
Saman Tubtieng, chairman of a farmers association in the Ping river basin, said the possibility of building a water tunnel linking the Mae Kuang dam to the neighbouring Mae Ngad dam was being explored through public hearings.
The tunnel, if built, would ease the water crisis in Doi Saket as Mae Ngad has a high volume of water in its reservoir.
The Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) in Chiang Mai and tourism business operators said they believed water supplies would not run short until the end of the dry season.
Even though the water level in Mae Kuang, a major water source for Chiang Mai, has plunged to 20% of its capacity, the PWA is not worried as it plans to pump more water from the Ping river to make tap water, Surasak Limcharoen, a PWA official, said.
"There should be enough water for tourists to throw around during Songkran," he said.
"But if you want to help, please don't waste too much."
Hotelier Pornchai Jitnawasatian, who owns two hotels in Chiang Mai, said he did not have any special plan to reserve water for use in the dry season.
Water kept in tanks on rooftops of his hotels would be enough for his guests, he said.
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As the Bhumibol dam plans to release more water to meet the needs of Songkran revellers, farmers in Chiang Mai's Doi Saket district are fighting over water to feed their drought-hit paddy fields.
Tanarat Poommakasikorn, deputy director of the dam in Tak, said yesterday an extra five million cubic metres of water will be released daily from the dam during the five-day-long Songkran Festival, which begins next weekend, to ensure there is enough water to splash around by holidaymakers.
The extra volume will increase the discharge from 38 million cubic metres of water to 43 million cubic metres per day during that period, he said.
Mr Tanarat urged Songkran celebrants to carefully use water as the dam also needs to have enough water for generating electricity to meet the rising demand in summer.
In Chiang Mai, a water shortage has reached crisis point in some villages as farmers have been seen engaging in fistfights over water to feed their farms.
On Thursday, representatives of farmers in three districts turned up at the Mae Kuang dam office in Doi Saket to lodge water shortage complaints.
Since early this year, the office has been flooded with complaints from distressed farmers whose crop yields were in jeopardy due to the insufficient water supply, dam director Wattana Kirakachinda said. "Currently, Mae Kuang dam has only 55 million cubic metres of water, or 20% of its total capacity of 263 million cubic metres.
"The public had earlier been informed that the water level in the Mae Kuang dam was at its lowest level in 10 years, so both urban and rural people should exercise caution on water consumption," he said.
Farmer representative Cherd Sunanta said the higher price of rice has encouraging more farmers to cultivate a second crop since early this year, increasing the demand for water, leading to a water crisis.
Rice farmer Boonying Boonchumjai said many farmers have shrugged off the warning not to overuse water as they have been blinded by the desire to make big profits from selling rice.
Sawat Tawan, a kamnan in tambon Mae Pong, said a water crisis in his neighbourhood has also led to water-hoarding, subsequently creating a violent conflict between two villages.
The protesting farmers demanded the closure of tunnels supplying water to the Chiang Mai waterworks authority, saying Mae Kuang dam was built for only farming purposes, not urban use.
Saman Tubtieng, chairman of a farmers association in the Ping river basin, said the possibility of building a water tunnel linking the Mae Kuang dam to the neighbouring Mae Ngad dam was being explored through public hearings.
The tunnel, if built, would ease the water crisis in Doi Saket as Mae Ngad has a high volume of water in its reservoir.
The Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) in Chiang Mai and tourism business operators said they believed water supplies would not run short until the end of the dry season.
Even though the water level in Mae Kuang, a major water source for Chiang Mai, has plunged to 20% of its capacity, the PWA is not worried as it plans to pump more water from the Ping river to make tap water, Surasak Limcharoen, a PWA official, said.
"There should be enough water for tourists to throw around during Songkran," he said.
"But if you want to help, please don't waste too much."
Hotelier Pornchai Jitnawasatian, who owns two hotels in Chiang Mai, said he did not have any special plan to reserve water for use in the dry season.
Water kept in tanks on rooftops of his hotels would be enough for his guests, he said.
Discuss
Add this link to...
Tell a friend
Bury
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