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El Niño risks 43 provinces; Supercomputer to aid 76 provinces.

El Niño risks 43 provinces; Supercomputer to aid 76 provinces.

Matichon•Politics•19d ago

Reader Briefing

Thailand faces heightened flood and drought risks in 43 provinces due to El Niño, prompting the use of supercomputing and improved data dissemination to manage water resources across all 76 provinces.

  • •Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Yodsanan Wongsuwan, highlighted El Niño's impact on Thailand's weather.
  • •43 provinces are at risk of experiencing both flooding and drought simultaneously due to extreme weather variability.
  • •A supercomputer and improved data sharing platforms are being implemented to manage water resources and disseminate real-time information to all 76 provinces.
  • •Authorities are urging public and local organizations to collect water during rain periods and utilize the thaiwater.net platform for real-time updates.

Overview

  • •On May 6, Yodsanan Wongsuwan, along with other officials, visited the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) to discuss climate variability from El Niño.
  • •GISTDA reported on water forecasts for the next six months (May-October) and showcased technologies for water management.
  • •Analysis of data via thaiwater.net reveals 64 provinces are at risk of flooding and 58 provinces are at risk of drought, with 43 provinces facing both.
  • •Extreme weather variability driven by El Niño causes concentrated heavy rainfall in some areas while others face prolonged dry spells, leading to dual crises.
  • •Yodsanan Wongsuwan emphasized the need to communicate data from the central level to local agencies, local government organizations, and farmers for accurate risk management.
  • •Yodsanan Wongsuwan stated that the national water data bank, covering all 76 provinces, is fully supported, along with analysis of El Niño and expansion of provincial water information management centers.
  • •There is a plan to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture to dredge water sources and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to identify high-risk areas.
  • •Yodsanan Wongsuwan invited the public and local administrative organizations to follow water situations, rainfall forecasts, and risk assessments in real-time via www.thaiwater.net and the ThaiWater mobile application.

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Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Quotes

Yodsanan Wongsuwan
"What needs urgent action today is communication and data dissemination from the central level to the local areas, so that operational agencies, local administrative organizations, and farmers can access real-time data and manage risks accurately."
สิ่งที่ต้องเร่งดำเนินการในวันนี้ คือการสื่อสารหรือการกระจายข้อมูลจากส่วนกลางลงสู่ระดับพื้นที่ เพื่อให้หน่วยงานระดับปฏิบัติการ องค์กรปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่น และเกษตรกร สามารถเข้าถึงข้อมูลแบบเรียลไทม์ และนำไปบริหารจัดการความเสี่ยงได้อย่างแม่นยำ
Yodsanan Wongsuwan
"In this variability crisis, even though the average rainfall may be less than normal, it doesn't mean there will be extreme drought with no water. This is a crucial opportunity we must urgently communicate to the public and local agencies to prepare to store as much water as possible during rainfall."
ในวิกฤตความแปรปรวนนี้แม้ปริมาณฝนเฉลี่ยอาจจะน้อยกว่าปกติ แต่ไม่ได้แปลว่าจะแล้งจัดจนไม่มีน้ำ นี่คือโอกาสสำคัญที่เราต้องเร่งสื่อสารให้ประชาชน และหน่วยงานในพื้นที่เตรียมเก็บน้ำในช่วงที่มีฝนให้ได้มากที่สุด

Key Entities

Person

Yodsanan Wongsuwan(ยศชนัน วงศ์สวัสดิ์)
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, who highlighted the risks of El Niño and the plans to address them.

Organization

Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA)(สถาบันสารสนเทศทรัพยากรน้ำ (องค์การมหาชน))
An organization that reported on water forecasts and showcased technologies for water management.
thaiwater.net(ไทยวอเตอร์.เน็ต)
A platform developed by GISTDA that provides water forecasts and risk assessments.
12 Mentor Universities(มหาวิทยาลัยพี่เลี้ยง 12 แห่ง)
Universities collaborating with GISTDA to develop human resources and systems for regional water management.
Science, Research and Innovation Promotion Fund (SRIPF)(กองทุนส่งเสริมวิทยาศาสตร์ วิจัยและนวัตกรรม (ววน.))
A fund supporting research for sustainable water management.
Ministry of Agriculture(กระทรวงเกษตรฯ)ℹ️
A ministry collaborating with GISTDA on plans for dredging water sources.
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)(กรมป้องกันและบรรเทาสาธารณภัย (ปภ.))ℹ️
A department collaborating with GISTDA to identify areas at risk of disasters.