Another dam controversy
Some experts say Thai dams are too full. Irrigation officials say yes, but they won’t be by the end of the dry season.
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Smith warns of dam peril
Fears grow of another massive flood disaster
Kultida Samabuddhi & Apinya Wipatayotin
Experts fear that the high water levels in some of the country's major dams could lead to disaster.
Disaster prevention and water management experts are worried that the delay in discharging water from the dams could lead to a repeat of last year's catastrophic floods.
"This is definitely a worrying sign," National Disaster Warning Council chairman Smith Dharmasaroja told theBangkok Post in a phone interview yesterday. "Agencies in charge of dam operations must urgently release water from the dams to make sure there is enough room to receive new inflows during the approaching rainy season."
Mr Smith, a former Meteorological Department chief and a member of the government-appointed StrategicCommittee for Water Resources Management (SCWRM), said Thailand is expected to experience high rainfall this year due to the La Nina weather phenomenon.
"We have to be prepared. Water storage levels in the major dams should be lowered to about 40% of their storage capacity," he said.
The Royal Irrigation Department (RID) reported yesterday the Bhumibol Dam is holding up to 12.3 billion cubic metres, or about 91% of its storage capacity, while the Sirikit Dam is 89% full. Water storage in most major dams in the North, Central and Northeast also exceeds 70% of their capacity.
Some experts blamed mismanagement of water storage in major dams for last year's epic floods. They said dam operators should have released the water before the rainy season arrived to have more retention capacity.
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