BLOG
February 10th, 2016
Via Future Directions International, an interesting look at Thailand’s efforts to secure new water sources to meet demand over the dry season:
Background
The El Niño weather phenomenon is having major ramifications for South-East Asia, particularly in Thailand, which is experiencing significant water shortages over the dry season. Farmers have been told to grow less water-intensive crops as the country struggles to meet the needs of agriculture, industrial usage and domestic consumption. The dry season is expected to last until 30 May. Until then, the government is scrambling to secure alternative water sources or risk dire water shortages, increased food insecurity and another potential political crisis.
Comment
Political stability is at risk in Thailand after recent hits to the economy and a severe seasonal drought. Weak monsoonal rainfall has stunted the country’s rice production, causing rice exports to fall by 12 per cent in 2015. Thailand’s struggling economy has not improved with the recent military coup. While the current economic downturn and unresolved political tensions are already beginning to place Thailand at risk of internal conflict, scarce water resources can only exacerbate the insecurity and tensions.
After Cabinet approved a budget increase to help farmers struggling with drought, the Thai Government committed 3.5 billion baht ($96 million) from the Department of Groundwater Resources to the construction of 4,300 wells. That is in addition to the 1,250 wells that have been dug since October 2015. Given that groundwater is rapidly diminishing across the globe with very little recharge, extracting groundwater through thousands of wells to meet current demand cannot be a long-term solution for water management in Thailand.
It is the government’s long-term strategy to fill dam capacity by tapping into rivers, some of which are transboundary, including the Yuam and Salween Rivers that flow along the border with Myanmar/Burma. Thailand has floated the idea of diverting water from the Moei River, on the Burmese border, to the Bhumibol dam, in the western province of Tak. It has also considered diverting water from the Mekong River to major dams in the north-east region. Upstream dams in China and Laos are already altering the flow of the Mekong for countries that are on the lower reaches of those rivers.
If Thailand were to act on planned irrigation projects, it would further reduce the flow of the river for downstream Cambodia and Vietnam. Vietnamese experts are already warning of dire consequences within the Mekong Delta if flow rates change. Reduced river flows will disturb biodiversity, sediment loads and aquifer levels. Downstream fish harvests from the Mekong are already at record-low rates; further action upstream has the potential to affect the food and water security of millions who live downstream.
In 2014, Vietnam approved the UN Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UNWC). While the Mekong River Commission exists for the management of shared water resources between Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, many South-East Asian countries are yet to become parties to the UNWC. The UNWC contains guidelines for dispute resolution among the countries through which transnational rivers flow and would facilitate rules and procedures for when disputes may arise from framework set out by the Mekong River Commission. Although multilateral engagement is often ambitious and can lack meaningful action, cross-border negotiations and a framework for accountability are needed between countries facing increasing water scarcity.
Thailand needs to address its current water shortage, but any action to secure new water sources must be handled delicately and with full consultation with affected countries downstream.