Pattaya begins water rationing

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Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

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The water problem struck me personally yesterday. My own water tank ran dry and I had to buy water from a water truck to refill my tank. The price is 300 baht which is twice the price they charged during the last major drought. I asked the water truck guy if the city can't supply water, where are you getting yours from? He said he has a well.

Fortunately for me, as much as I hate to have to pay for the water, at least I can afford it. But there are so many Thai people who will not be able to afford it and will have to do without any running water at all.

Again, I think allowing this situation to occur when they knew sooner or later a major drought would occur again, along with the population growth, it is inexcusable they allowed this to happen to an entire city when they could have planned properly and done things to make sure this doesn't happen again - and they did nothing. Maybe this time they will, but I sure wouldn't count on it. They can just tell us all about how there is plenty of water, like they did this time, and just hope it doesn't happen again.
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Pattaya Water Authority says Mapprachan Lake Reservoir now at critical level but will continue to ration water

By Adam Judd

Wednesday, 22 April 2020

A major water reservoir in Banglamung has hit its base level and is at critically low levels. However, Banglamung Water Authority Officials say they have developed an extensive plan to handle the drought.

The Pattaya News has visited the Mapprachan Reservoir in the Pong sub-district this week where water has about hit its base and is at a critically low level. Additionally, despite the reservoir and surrounding parks and exercise areas officially being closed to promote social distancing, Banglamung officials say many people are still wandering the local lake and nearly empty reservoir.

Mr. Chaitat Insang, the manager of the Pattaya Water Authority told The Pattaya News that “There is significantly less water this year as opposed to the previous year.”

The Pattaya News note that this is from a variety of factors, not lack of rain, such as significant climate change and diversion of water traditionally supplied to local households to businesses and work being completed in the region on the Eastern Economic Corridor project.

An article sourced from The Diplomat, below, provides more detailed information about the water problems Thailand is facing.

https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/thailan ... challenge/

“We have decreased overall water pressure and distributed water on rationing schedules for the time being.” Mr. Insang added.

Mr. Insang stated that the water rationing would be required until the upcoming rainy season. Regardless, to avoid the same situation in future years, significant planning and partnerships must take place, local PWA officials have stated.

As for the large amount of people exercising and present in the reservoir area during a period in which the area is ordered by the Chonburi Governor to be closed to promote physical distancing, additional law enforcement resources will be assigned to the area for routine patrols, according to Pattaya Law Enforcement.

Story and photos: https://thepattayanews.com/2020/04/22/p ... ion-water/
odd

Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

Post by odd »

200 baht per tank here in Soi 89-we have been getting some water every other night -enough to keep us from having to order every day. Private well? Hard to believe that!
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Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

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All this and hadn’t it been for Covid Songkran would have taken place as usual. :roll:
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Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

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odd wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 11:29 am Private well? Hard to believe that!
I wrote he said that. I didn't say I believe him . . .

The guy who does my dog training has his place out by the reservoir. This morning he told me that he has seen several separate areas being dredged out and they're full of water - but they haven't yet bothered to build pipelines from any of those to the main reservoir.

He too can't understand why, as long as the reservoir is now virtually dry, they're not dredging out any of it so that it can hold plenty more water. It doesn't make any sense. Of course, that part comes as no surprise.
Jun

Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

Post by Jun »

By pure coincidence, I was watching this earlier in the week. If you're looking for inspiration.



Quite resourceful.
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Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

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I was out by Pattaya's reservoir yesterday, April 29. Despite some torrential rains in the Pattaya area lately all I saw in the reservoir were a few more puddles. You can still easily walk across it without ever encountering a drop of water.

I think it's going to take much more rain, much more often, before any of the water rationing can be lifted.
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Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

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I hope they're right. So far I have had to buy water only once, but I live alone, so I don't use as much water as households with several people. I see water delivery trucks all the time now. During the last drought I had to buy water every 3 or 4 days. So, apparently I'm getting enough water, but if people are having to buy water from the delivery trucks, obviously not enough for everybody.
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Despite empty reservoirs, Pattaya will have enough water, PWA insists

By Warapun Jaikusol

May 9, 2020

Despite the five reservoirs feeding Pattaya being nearly empty, the Provincial Waterworks Authority insists the city can make it through the summer without serious shortages.

PWA Pattaya Manager Chaiyatat Aitsang said May 7 that water diversion from rivers nearby and good water management will ensure Pattaya has enough of the wet stuff, even if rain doesn’t replenish nearby reservoirs.

The Mabprachan, Chak Nok, Nong Klang Dong, Huay Saphan and Huay Khunjit lakes normally contribute 80 million cubic meters of raw water for Pattaya, but now the reservoirs are either empty or down to puddles.

Chaiyatat said the remaining 10 percent will be supplemented by 110,000 cu. meters of water from other sources, such as the Prasae River in Rayong and the Nong Plalai Reservoir, and 10,000 cu. meters of water from the Bang Phra Reservoir.

Moreover, he said, the PWA is buying 23,000 cu. meters of water a day from Eastern Water Resources Development and Management Plc.

He said the drought is the worst since 2002, but, back then, Pattaya had only the Mabprachan Reservoir from which to draw water.

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/despit ... sts-298881
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Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

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They definitely need to get serious about this. I'm glad they're finally going to do something about letting an entire city be without water. And with global warming and climate change, nobody can predict how often we will have droughts like this or how long they will last. No more just hoping there will be enough water or making empty promises about how much water we have and how long it will last.

It is ridiculous to have to go on water rationing in a country where there is supposed to be a natural annual monsoon season. Obviously it doesn't always work that way. And sometimes even rationing is not nearly enough. I've had to buy water from the water trucks and have them fill my water tank 4 times already, even with the water the city supplies. The water trucks are all over the place now - not quite as many as the Chinese tour buses were, but certainly plenty of them. At least when it becomes necessary we can buy water, but each fill-up costs more than twice as much as my usual monthly water bill from the city.
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Government mulls 3 new reservoirs to feed Pattaya

By Jetsada Homklin

June 12, 2020

The government is considering building three new reservoirs in Chanthaburi to supply water to Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard.

Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome said June 10 that the EEC Office is conferring with the Provincial Water Authority and Royal Irrigation Department on the proposal, which would include systems to capture rainwater.

Pattaya is in the grips of the worst drought in a decade with the five reservoirs supplying raw water to the city at just 20 percent of capacity, even after a recent tropical storm sent nearly 1.9 billion cubic meters of water to the Mabprachan, Huay Chankok, Nong Klangdong, Huay Sapan and Huay Khunjit reservoirs.

Currently the PWA is rationing water with most of Pattaya on an odd-even-day allocation system for running tap water.

Another meeting is planned in the near future to iron out more details.

https://www.pattayamail.com/featured/go ... aya-303690
Jun

Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

Post by Jun »

About time too, as a middle income* country should invest in sufficient infrastructure to avoid regular water shortages.
[* Not my definition]

How well does the every other day rationing really work ? My first response to that would be to have a couple of storage tanks and a pump, so I can just fill the tanks on the days when they supply water. So anyone else who can afford it might do the same.

Also, I presume the water is metered, having seen numerous meters around. Wouldn't it just be more effective to put the price up temporarily, or even have tiered pricing, so people using more than a certain volume pay a higher rate ? OK, of course there are circumstances where this might be unfair, but the every other day solution presumably only affects households with no storage tank ?
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Re: Pattaya begins water rationing

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Jun wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:07 pm Wouldn't it just be more effective to put the price up temporarily, or even have tiered pricing, so people using more than a certain volume pay a higher rate ?
Yes, the city water is metered. What they are doing now is the opposite of your idea. People who use less than a certain volume will get their water free.

Most houses have water storage tanks and water pumps. The problem with the water rationing is you have no idea just how much water you'll get on the days when you're supposed to get it. Sometimes I'm not sure if I actually received any or not.
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