Water shortage to affect industries in East

FTI has collaborated with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) using information from satellites to make a map of water flow in Thailand to build effective reservoirs supporting each water stream.
Montri said that the industries in the eastern region will suffer the most. Several factories have to buy water leading to higher expenditure. The government has to work on this issue before it worsens the economic situation.
Orapin Sermpraphasilp, chairperson of the Federation of Thai Industries of the Eastern Region said that Chachoengsao province is of the most concern as it is located near the sea and must rely on the Bang Pakong River which usually turns from freshwater to brackish water during a drought. Without freshwater in the area, the industries, particularly those involved in food and medical equipment, will have to buy it.
She added that the problems are not caused only by the low quantities of water but also the quality of it since the industries need to use high-quality water.
Fortunately, some eco factories have excellent water management and are using their water footprint along with the SMART system and applying R3 (Reduce Reuse and Recycle) with the Internet of Things system to enhance 15 per cent of water management, which will help retain confidence in Thai industries. 
The drought this season is the most severe for 14 years because the reservoirs that usually provide a fallback are themselves short of water this year. 
The Water and Environment Institute for Sustainability stated that reserved rainfall is 30 per cent lower than average.

At the meeting of the Office of the National Water Resources, Royal Irrigation Department and the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand (EECO) on December 3, the government agreed to bring in water from other sources to the eastern regions and to develop new reservoirs to support EEC industries.