Thailand water woes persist despite improvement in aggregate water level

The largest dam remains at a critically low level.

Water level in the 34 large dams as of 4 October has exceeded the level in the drought year of 2014.

Data from the Royal Irrigation Department show that following the persistent rains since October the Pasak Jolasit dam has reached the critically high level of 87% (both storage & usable capacity) whereas the water level of the bigger Bhumibol dam remains critically low of 45% with 17% of usable capacity.

According to MayBank KimEng, the largest dam in the north, Bhumibol (13,462m cum capacity) is still at a critically low level and if levels aren’t lifted in the remaining 27 rainy days as forecast by the Meteorological Department, it could mean low water levels into the second cropping season and the summer months.

The research firm notes that with Pasak dam (960m cum capacity) in Lopburi Central Thailand reaching a critically high level of 87%, it is likely that the Royal Irrigation Department will have to release some of the water into the Chao Phraya river. This, it said, will result in prolonged inundation in the provinces of the central plain including parts of Bangkok.

"Although it is good news that the aggregate water level has exceeded the 2014 level, it is still lower than our benchmark year of 2013. We maintain the view that disruption in agriculture due to water issues remains a downside risk for the Thai economy short term," it said in a report.