Academician advised water management plans be adjusted

BANGKOK, Oct 15 (TNA) -- A Thai academician suggested that adjustments be made on the water management plans, in order for them to coincide with existing water sources, adding that the plans should be turned into 3-stage plans to handle future water crises that could be influenced by climate change. A lecturer from the Engineering faculty of Chulalongkorn Univeristy Sucharit Koontanakulvong said during a seminar on water resources management in the face of ongoing climate change, coorganised by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and CU, that the constant climate change has gravely affected every country around the globe, particularly Thailand, as the country would be affected by the change inevitably. International research has shown that Earth's temperature is on the verge of increasing, which means summer would become longer and winter shorter, while drought would become more severe and the downpours could become more intense during the rainy season, said the academician. He added that the fluctuating climate would also bring more storms, and with all of these combined, water-related disasters could now cause short and long term effects to different parts of the world. What is most worrisome for Thailand, said Mr Sucharit, are the states of which the country's rainy season comes too early with heavy downpours throughout the season, or when the rainy season starts too late, bringing with it little rainfalls, both of which are very difficult to predict of whether or not it would happen in a year. He suggested that a 3-stage plan be devised up to handle the risks for the water crises, or in the short, medium, and long term. For the short term plan, the researcher advised that a fail-safe system be set up to provide water reserves when needed. In the medium term, a management system must set to better conserve forests, along with improve small dams and monitor water quality. For the long term plan, projects must be initiated to develop medium and large-size water sources via the implementation of modern technology to better manage the water for the construction of dams or to create the Smart Water System for sustainable development. In the mean time, all agencies in the public sector must coordinate in water management operations in order to utilise the amount water to its fullest capability, so that the public would have adequate amount of water for consumption throughout the year. (END)