CityNews – 16th October 2019, at Sri Lanna National Park, Mae Taeang district, Chiang Mai Governor Charoenrit Sa-nguansat was a chairman in a meeting to prepare for drought and monitor water-related situations in Mae Taeng district now that the rains are ending. Those who attended the meeting included representatives from Regional Irrigation Office 1 Chiang Mai, Irrigation Project of Chiang Mai, Mae Taeng district chief, local administrative staff including sub-district and village heads.
Now that we are entering winter and with summer just around the corner, Meteorological Department of Thailand has forecasted that the drought period of 2020 will likely be longer than usual and continue until July 2020. So, there must be proper water management so that there is sufficient water for the whole province both for consuming, maintaining eco-systems, agriculture, tourism and other industries. It is expected that 300 million cubic metres of water should be allocated for the upcoming drought of 2020.
Mae Taeng is an important water source of Chiang Mai with three major rivers crossing this district, i.e. Mae Ping, Mae Taeng, and Mae Ngad. At present, large projects to build water tunnels for transferring water between Mae Taeng River to Mae Ngad dam and from there to Mae Kuang dam, to manage the general consumption of water, is expected to be complete and ready for use by 2022. Each area, however, is expected to store as much water in their respective reservoirs for sufficient usage and to control floodgates (or watergates) according to the allocation from the irrigation plan.
On this occasion, the Chiang Mai governor listened to obstacles to achieving the aim for sufficient water from local headmen, and stressed to relevant officers to carry on working as planned with the greatest efficiency and to prepare assistance for farmers’ need. He also requested cooperation from the general public to use water economically and efficiently.