Eastern Thailand to witness water shortage as petrochem industry grows in the region

26-Dec-07

Eastern Thailand could face water shortages in the next five years unless additional resources can be made available to meet growing demand from 300 bln baht worth of new petrochemical complexes planned in the area, as well as the growing tourism industry in Pattaya, Rayong and Trat. Additional pressure would be exerted on the water resources as new independent power plants, automotive plants and other industrial projects come onstream. To meet this rising demand for water, work is underway to link the main water reservoirs in the region _ Bang Pra, Nong Pralai and Dok Krai in Chon Buri to the Bang Pakong River. The Prasae reservoir in Chanthaburi is also being expanded in efforts to secure supplies following a severe water shortage in 2004. Additionally, the industrial sector is adopting water saving technology, especially in petrochemical and power plants, by extracting seawater to treat by reverse osmosis, which could reduce consumption from reservoirs by 10% per year