City of Bangkok May Run out of Water This Month

It looks like the city of Bangkok may be joining the likes of Brazil, India, and the Western United States, for the unfortunate status of being another water deprived region. Thailand is currently experiencing an unrelenting drought; one which experts are calling the worst they’ve seen in over a decade. The government is desperately waiting for overdue rains to replenish the city’s water supply, and push back the sea water that is creeping into their reservoirs, which is currently threatening the health of farms in the region.

Since October the government has been asking farmers to scale back their crops, but it doesn’t seem to be having an effect on their water supply. The amount of water collected from three of their reservoirs in November was 5 billion cubic meters, or 3 billion less than they would normally receive that month. As of this week, there is only a measly 660 million cubic meters left for the city.

The governor of Bangkok’s water district has since told Reuters that “Right now, there is only enough water in the dams to distribute for about 30 more days – if it doesn’t rain.” He’s also told residents that they should store at least 60 liters of water in case there is a shortage, and asked that they cut back on their water usage. Unfortunately, the calls have gone unheeded since water only costs 25 cents per 1000 liters. As is the case with most countries, the government doesn’t seem to have any grasp on supply and demand. (see how bad drought conditions are around the world).