Tap-water services hit by drought

ONGOING drought is threatening the delivery of tap-water services with impacts felt in both urban and rural zones.
“Our Bang Khen facility has lowered its tap-water production and distribution since last month. The move means weaker water flow during some periods of a day particularly in eastern Bangkok and (adjacent) Samut Prakan province,” Metropolitan Water-works Authority (MWA) governor Thanasak Watanathana said the other day.
Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) governor Ratana Kitchawan also disclosed that 10 of her authorities’ branches had already experienced shortage of raw water.
“Most of them are located in the Northeast. We are trying to find artesian water or water from |nearby areas to compensate,” she said.
Both Thanasak and Ratana believed that water supply in major dams could be enough for use over the next 30 days only.
“This year, rainfall is the lowest in three decades,” Ratana said.
Thanasak added that the Royal Irrigation Department’s decision to release less water from dams could mean there is not enough freshwater to keep seawater from intruding at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River too.
This means the salinity of |water in the area may soon be |too high for waterwork usage.
“If the salinity soars past standard level, we will ask people to store water beforehand,” Thanasak said.
He said his authority was now trying to store as much water as possible for water use.
Ratana said PWA facilities in some seaside provinces were also affected as raw water turned salty.
“For example, our facility in Chachoengsao now needs to rely on water from Chon Buri province,” she said.
Chao Phraya Dam Project director Ekasit Sakdeethanaporn said yesterday the level of the Chao Phraya just north of the Chao Phraya Dam had dropped by a |further six centimetres to the |lowest level in three decades.
Ekasit said he had alerted |people living on the banks of the river to constantly check the strength of their homes.
“The banks may partially |collapse and affect their houses,” he said.
In the Chainat province, a riverside house collapsed along with a crumbling bank of the Chao Phraya on Saturday night.
House owner Wassana Sanitchart said her neighbour saw on Saturday afternoon that her house was at risk and they helped her move belongings out of the structure.
“My house’s balcony stretched out into the river,” Wassana said.
Three other nearby houses |sustained partial damage.