Salty water in Bangkok is new 'reality' as sea pushes farther inland

(Reuters News, 10 Jan 2020) Bangkok's water authority says tap water is becoming saline as seawater pushes up the depleted Chao Phraya river, a growing risk faced by many of Asia's coastal cities.

Thai authorities are trucking drinking water to parts of Bangkok and urging residents to shower less as a worsening drought and rising sea levels have increased salinity, a growing risk faced by many Asian cities, climate researchers said.

Bangkok's water authority said the capital's tap water was becoming saline as seawater pushed up the depleted Chao Phraya river, a source of much of central Thailand's water.

Prime Minister Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha this week asked the public to save water by taking shorter showers.

Making matters worse, Thailand's dry season began in November and usually lasts through April, but this year authorities said it could last until June and drought has been declared in 14 provinces.

The drought conditions have worsened saltwater intrusion, which can have major impacts on farming and on health as drinking water is contaminated, said Suppakorn Chinvanno, a climate expert at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

"It is becoming a more serious issue, with the intrusion coming farther inland this year and earlier in the season," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

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Reuters News, 10 Jan 2020: Salty water in Bangkok is new 'reality' as sea pushes farther inland