CHAI NAT – Rain in upstream provinces has eased supply problems at the Chao Phraya Dam, whose water level has risen above the crisis threshold.
Water at the dam stood at 14.09 metres above sea level during the latest check at 9am Tuesday, slightly above the 14-metre crisis level for the first time in five weeks.
The water level had dropped continually since June and sank to its lowest point at 13.11 metres on Friday. But rain in Nakhon Sawan, Kamphaeng Phet and Uthai Thani provinces fed water to the Chao Phraya River and pushed the dam out of the red zone.
Rising waters have not translated to good news for farmers downstream, however, as dam director Ekkasit Sakdeethanaporn said the priority now is to reserve water for consumption and combat the incursion of saltwater at the mouth of the Chao Phraya.
He urged farmers not to siphon off water for their rice paddies in accordance with government orders until further notice. The dam could discharge water to all irrigation canals before the weekend if water levels continue to rise, he added.
Drought hit 40 provinces in October and seven of them -- Chon Buri, Pathum Thani, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok, Phrae, Pichit and Sukhothai - remain in critical condition and have been declared disaster areas, according a Tuesday report from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.
Janesak Limpiti, director of the Irrigation Office in Chiang Mai, warned that the water situation at main dams in northern provinces remained serious due to a continued drop in water level, especially the Mae Kuang Udom Thara Dam in Doi Saket district, were water consumes just 13% of its capacity.
Drought will drag on until at least the end of August if rainfall in Chiang Mai and other northern provinces are delayed, he added.
