Bangkok's tap water supply in danger, says MWA governor

Reuters quoted the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority governor as saying that without rain, Bangkok's tap water supply may run out in a month. Meanwhile, much of the northeastern region of the country has started to get much-needed rain.

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A watergate in Chai Nat province no longer serves its purpose on July 7 as the water level of the Chao Phraya River at the Chao Phraya Dam was at the lowest level in 40 years. CHUDATE SEEHAWONG

Sakhon Nakhon weather radar at 10:30am this morning.

This Reuters story got a lot of attention yesterday. It contains some good information about the current situation, especially what needs to be done to prevent future tap water crises. It did not mention, however, that Bangkok can also receives water from the Srinakarin and Vajiralongkorn dams in Kanchanaburi province and there has been some rain in that area recently. Also, there was substantial rain across much of the Northeast yesterday and it seems to be continuing today. That won't help Bangkok, but it will help farmers in that area.

MWA: Bangkok's tap water may run out in a month

Alisa Tang, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Bangkok's tap water supply may run out in a month, as the country waits for long overdue rains to replenish sources depleted by drought and threatened by seawater creep, the chief of the capital's water authority said.

Thailand is suffering its worst drought in more than a decade. In an effort to maintain water levels in the dams that supply water for agriculture in the provinces as well as taps in the capital Bangkok, the government has asked farmers to refrain from planting rice since last October.

Despite these measures, water levels are critically low in the three key reservoirs that flow into the Chao Phraya River, one of the two main sources of Bangkok's tap water.

The quantity of water collected in the three dams totalled 5 billion cubic metres last November, compared to the normal 8 billion cu/m, said Thanasak Watanathana, governor of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority. As of Monday, there was about 660 million cu/m left, according to the Royal Irrigation Department.

"Right now, there is only enough water in the dams to distribute for about 30 more days – if it doesn't rain," Mr Thanasak told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

Normally, the flow of water from the rains and dams keeps saltwater from the Gulf of Thailand at bay. But during droughts, the saltwater creeps upstream, turning the Chao Phraya brackish.

The seawater can kill crops and threatens the pumping station that siphons off water from the river, about 100km from the gulf. The waterworks authority produces 5.2 million cu/m of tap water per day for 2.2 million residential, business and industrial customers, but is not equipped to treat saltwater.

The waterworks authority has asked Bangkok residents to store a reserve of 60 litres of drinking water in the event of a shortage. It has also urged people to use less water, but has had little success on this front in part, said Mr Thanasak, because water customers pay only 8.5 baht per 1,000 litres.

"It's too cheap, so people don't feel the need to conserve. It has been this price since July 1999. It's probably the biggest city with the cheapest water in the world," he said.

The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority plans to invest 45 billion baht over the next seven years to increase production and storage. It has also started discussions on a 30-year plan to forecast water demand, identify sources of water and protect against saltwater intrusion, Mr Thanasak said.

Large-scale rainwater collection should be part of that solution, he said, adding that currently when it rains in Bangkok, all the water drains into the sea, wasted.

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