Diversion to keep salinity in check

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on has ordered the Royal Irrigation Department to install more pumps to divert freshwater from the Mae Klong River into the Chao Phraya River to hold back seawater, as rice growers ignore instructions to stop off-season cultivation.

Mr Chalermchai yesterday said he issued the order to the department because the water level in the Chao Phraya Dam was very low.

Irrigation department directorgeneral, Thongplew Kongjun, said last week that the water level in the dam was only 13.1 metres above mean sea level.

Since then, the water level has risen slightly because local administrative officials were ordered to prevent excessive freshwater pumping by farmers.

“Today it is at 13.19 metres. We must keep a close watch because it is below the 14-metre level we last saw during the severe drought of 2015,” he said.

According to Mr Thongplew, the water level at the dam remains alarmingly low despite the fact that four dams are discharging some 18 million cubic metres of water a day into the Chao Phraya River.

To stop the water level from dipping further, Mr Chalermchai ordered irrigation officials to divert water from the Mae Klong River in the west through Jorakhay Samphan and Tha San-Bang Pla canals to the lower Chao Phraya basin in the Central Plains.

He blamed rice growers whom he said had ignored the government’s instruction to suspend off-season rice planting because of the severe water shortage.

“In this dry season, the Agriculture Ministry does not allow off-season cultivation, but farmers have planted rice on as much as 13.9 million rai of land,” said Mr Thongplew.

Water from the Chao Phraya River Basin is needed to supply enough freshwater to maintain tap water production and also supply orchid and fruit plantations.