Shrinking Pattaya Reservoirs

[jacko 8,822]

More the point... why is it still pouring with rain in mid-November!

[forcebwithu 4,856]

I hadn't realized how long it's been since I last took a ride around the local reservoirs. Too bloody hot now for a ride, but seeing this news article about the situation in Korat prompted me to have a look at the Chonburi monthly report.

Lam Takhong reservoir, Lam Mun river drying up amid water shortage fears

With the start of the rainy season still at least three months away, water levels aren't looking good for Chonburi. The black line in the chart is now below the worst case projection.

https://www.eastwater.com/en/Customer/WeeklyWaterSituationDetails/437

[Broughton 497]

Absolutely I’ve seen Mapprachan go down from being the fullest I’ve seen it.

What makes it all the more ludicrous was the open encouragement to poor water down the drains for a week in Pattaya to celebrate Songkran.

[Regyai 415]

39 minutes ago, Broughton said:

Absolutely I’ve seen Mapprachan go down from being the fullest I’ve seen it.

What makes it all the more ludicrous was the open encouragement to poor water down the drains for a week in Pattaya to celebrate Songkran.

Same every year

The pre Songkran trumpeting about great water reserves, followed by the post Songkran drought.

[maik 444]

Pattaya water supplies depend on the upcoming rains

PATTAYA, Thailand – The ongoing drought in the central provinces, including Chonburi and the Pattaya area, is causing concern according to the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT). The report shows that the three-province Eastern Economic Corridor in 2023 suffered a 60 percent decline in rainfall from normal levels, though current reservoirs still have 52 percent of total capacity.


The hope is, in spite of El Nino, that the current dry season will give way to rainfall from the middle of May ...

 

Read the rest at Pattaya Mail

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattaya-water-supplies-depend-on-the-upcoming-rains-459477

 

[sailingbill 1,039]

Groundhog day.    My wife told me we have to go to Home Pro for a water tank and pump. I didn't really understand as the water pressure has been fine then I saw this thread and remembered. I've only been upcountry since October.So off to Home Pro to spend another 6k.

[forcebwithu 4,856]

1 hour ago, maik said:

Pattaya water supplies depend on the upcoming rains

PATTAYA, Thailand – The ongoing drought in the central provinces, including Chonburi and the Pattaya area, is causing concern according to the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT). The report shows that the three-province Eastern Economic Corridor in 2023 suffered a 60 percent decline in rainfall from normal levels, though current reservoirs still have 52 percent of total capacity.


The hope is, in spite of El Nino, that the current dry season will give way to rainfall from the middle of May ...

 

Read the rest at Pattaya Mail

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattaya-water-supplies-depend-on-the-upcoming-rains-459477

 

Further down in the article,
“Authorities are confident sufficient water will be supplied to factories, the agricultural sector as well as to support people’s consumption until the rainy season which will start between May and June.” said Mr Veeris. Although hotels and homes in Pattaya are not currently threatened with rationing, the hope is that the rains are literally round the corner. The Pattaya water authority confirmed that there has not been widespread and significant water supply rationing in the area since an unusually persistent dry spell in 2008.
-----------------------------------

IIRC, they were saying the same when Mabprachan looked like this in September, 2015. While there wasn't water rationing then, there were several reports of the water utility lowering water pressure in many areas to conserve what little water remained.

For an interesting comparison below are the water situation charts for Chonburi for the same week in April 2024 and 2015. The left two columns are for the main Chonburi reservoirs and the third line is the % of capacity in each. We're in slightly better shape this year at 41% vs 36% and 32% vs 30%, but it wasn't as hot in 2015 as it is currently. And we didn't have as many tourists back then as we have now.

It all depends on what type of rain we see in the coming months. If it's at or below what it was in 2015 I'll be able to ride my mtn bike across the middle of Mabprachan once again and people will be complaining again of low water pressure.

April 17, 2015

April 19, 2024

https://www.eastwater.com/en/Customer/WeeklyWaterSituation

 

[jacko 8,822]

I was hiding from the mid afternoon heat in AC when I went in the bathroom and the water pressure seemed low..... when I went out I noticed the pool boy had the hose pipe in my pool and the valve fully open...  my storage tank was halfway empty so this had been going on a while. I turned it off and asked him why, as the level had been  fine earlier. He had pumped a lot out doing a backwash... I had done that too and it was not necessary. (It is apparent on a pressure valve on the sand filter). I thought of this, and how my Mrs seems to  think you have to flush a toilet once before you use it, and twice after, and the wastage of Songkran and realized we are doomed to water cuts!

[jacko 8,822]

Furthermore, I learn yesterday that electrical work will occur in the village Friday, and hence the power is warned to be off 9am to 5pm. Not sure whether to be glad they do the work... or ponder the wisdom of doing this in the middle of the worst heatwave I recall. It is reaching 39 predicted, and could kill older and disabled folks. Yet again I regret never having bought a little generator set.  (Or the more popular solution of my own solar panels, because you can bet the sun will be shining). 

[forcebwithu 4,856]

It's been too long since my last update here, so this morning got up early to get a ride in around Mabprachan before the heat of the day kicks in.

In a nutshell, last time I saw the reservoir this low at this time of year was during the drought of 2015. Sure hope rainy season is good to us this year otherwise we're probably looking at water rationing later in the year.
 

[forcebwithu 4,856]

2 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

It's been too long since my last update here, so this morning got up early to get a ride in around Mabprachan before the heat of the day kicks in.

In a nutshell, last time I saw the reservoir this low at this time of year was during the drought of 2015. Sure hope rainy season is good to us this year otherwise we're probably looking at water rationing later in the year.

Correction, water levels were much worse April, 2020. Fortunately it was during the pandemic so we didn't have any pesky tourists drinking what little water remained.

 

[jacko 8,822]

20 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

It's been too long since my last update here, so this morning got up early to get a ride in around Mabprachan before the heat of the day kicks in.

It absolutely poured it down yesterday in the afternoon in my Nong Plalai area, probably a good cm or 2 fell. I did check the radar map and it looked to be very localized. Strong winds and lightening too. 

[forcebwithu 4,856]

1 hour ago, jacko said:

It absolutely poured it down yesterday in the afternoon in my Nong Plalai area, probably a good cm or 2 fell. I did check the radar map and it looked to be very localized. Strong winds and lightening too. 

I heard the rumblings to the north yesterday afternoon, but didn't see any rain in central Pattaya. Outlook for rain looks promising for the next several days.

[sailingbill 1,039]

An electrical downpour daily but sporadically up North. I get quite tense checking the sky as I ride the Mc  40kms to the airport.  Missing my Pattaya trip would be crushing.

[forcebwithu 4,856]

Just had a line of thunderstorms move through central Pattaya over the last hour. Rain is tapering off now, but the garden is very happy for the rain.

I'm also quite pleased with my expanded rain collection system. This rainstorm and a single roofline gutter managed to fill 2500L in less than an hour.

In the pic below, the 1000L tank is at the far back, the 1500L tank in the foreground.

[forcebwithu 4,856]

I managed to get drone video of Huai Chak Nok Reservoir water level just before the thunderstorms rolled through this morning. With this being an average year for rainfall, and given we're a few weeks from the end of rainy season, I'm surprised the water level is as low as it is.

 

 

[forcebwithu 4,856]

I also took pictures of Huai Chak Nok Reservoir in case I crashed and destroyed the drone.

A new water park got built on the southeast side of the lake since I was last out there.

[forcebwithu 4,856]

A few weeks ago Mabprachan was looking low for this time of year, the end of rainy season. Today levels looked normal for this time of year.

 

 

 

[forcebwithu 4,856]

A few selected stills from the drone video of Mabprachan.