ONWR Enhances Mekong Basin Water Management Cooperation

MGR Online•General•5d ago

Reader Briefing

The Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) is enhancing cross-border water management cooperation within the Mekong Basin to mitigate flood risks and improve water quality.

•The Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) serves as Thailand's central mechanism for linking domestic water management with sub-regional cooperation.
•ONWR utilizes the Mekong River Commission (MRC) and Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) frameworks to monitor water levels and exchange data with neighbor countries.
•Current monitoring includes near real-time data from 79 stations across 5 countries and water discharge data from 13 major dams in 4 countries.
•ONWR is pushing for proactive water management, including the 'Pre-release' concept to reduce peak water levels and flood risks.

Overview

•The Mekong River flows through 6 countries: China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
•The Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) coordinates with the Mekong River Commission Secretariat (MRCS) to monitor Mekong River situations 24 hours a day.
•ONWR links data from 79 meteorological and hydrological stations in 5 countries, with water levels updated every 15 minutes.
•ONWR monitors water inflow, outflow, and storage of 13 major dams across 4 countries in the Mekong Basin.
•The Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) aims to transition from data exchange to proactive water management, including the exchange of electricity production and discharge plans.
•The Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) has pushed water quality issues regarding heavy metal contamination in the Kok, Sai, and Ruak Rivers into the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) framework.
•The Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) promotes the Pre-release concept to increase water retention space and reduce cross-border flood risks.
•Chumlarp Techasen stated that future Mekong management must allow all countries to perceive information, coordinate, and make decisions faster.

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Key Quotes

Chumlarp Techasen

"Our goal is not just knowing that water is coming, but knowing fast enough to manage it and coordinating with neighbors fast enough to reduce impacts on the people."

เป้าหมายของเราไม่ใช่เพียงการรู้ว่าน้ำกำลังจะมา แต่ต้องรู้ให้เร็วพอที่จะบริหารจัดการได้ และต้องประสานกับประเทศเพื่อนบ้านได้เร็วพอที่จะลดผลกระทบต่อประชาชน

Key Entities

Organization

Office of the National Water Resources(สำนักงานทรัพยากรน้ำแห่งชาติ)ℹ️

Thailand's central mechanism for linking domestic water management with basin and sub-regional cooperation.

Mekong River Commission(คณะกรรมาธิการแม่น้ำโขง)ℹ️

An organization formed by Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Vietnam under the 1995 Mekong Agreement.

Mekong River Commission Secretariat(สำนักงานเลขาธิการคณะกรรมาธิการแม่น้ำโขง)

The secretariat of the Mekong River Commission (MRCS) that provides 24-hour monitoring and forecasting data to ONWR.

Mekong-Lancang Cooperation(กรอบความร่วมมือแม่โขง–ล้านช้าง)

A sub-regional cooperation framework used by ONWR to address water quality issues at the ministerial and leader levels.

Person

Chumlarp Techasen(ชุมลาภ เตชะเสน)

Assistant Secretary-General of the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) and ONWR spokesperson for international water management.

Law

Mekong Agreement 1995(ข้อตกลงแม่น้ำโขง พ.ศ. 2538)

The agreement establishing the Mekong River Commission to promote sustainable water resource management.

Place

Mekong River(แม่น้ำโขง)ℹ️

An international river approximately 4,880 kilometers long flowing through China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Kok River(แม่น้ำกก)ℹ️

A river connected to the Mekong basin system facing heavy metal contamination issues.

Sai River(แม่น้ำสาย)

A river connected to the Mekong basin system facing heavy metal contamination issues.

Ruak River(แม่น้ำรวก)ℹ️

A river connected to the Mekong basin system facing heavy metal contamination issues.