Thale Sap Songkhla (Lake)

[Hat-Yai Junc]

I'm highly impressed with 2bangkok.com when it comes to updates on the progress of mega-projects, but you rarely touch on southern projects already in progress.

There are at least three mega-projects going on in Songkhla Province right now. There is also an almost complete official silence on these projects, even though they are already well into the construction phase. Searches on the net have thrown up little more than the original conferences and plans.Bangkok newspapers are worse than useless on projects in this area. Have you noted how badly informed their reporters are? They frequently foul up the smaller detail of such projects because they have almost zero geographical awareness of their own country.

I'll just remind you what these projects are:-

1:Thai-Malaysia Gas Pipeline.
This appears to be quite advanced. I've met some of the engineers and they also report substantial progress. I balk at taking pictures and making progress reports because of the obvious security paranoia. It would also be very easy to annoy the locals on both sides of the argument. (The PR on this project was appalling!)

2: The Doubling of the Tinsulanonda Bridges and construction of dual carriageways on the 'spit' between Nakorn and Songkhla. They are bloody long bridges, even if they lack the clout of Bangkok bridge projects. Both the bridges & roads are well into the construction phase. I'll go and take some photos, and see if I can get some further info.

3: The Dredging of Songkhla Lake.
It's a big lake, but I've no idea what's happening about this; except that it is almost certainly a project in progress.

4: Hat-Yai Flood Prevention Scheme. Well, we all knew that canal-widening was on the cards, but most people had no idea it was underway until they noticed some enormous holes and bridge reconstruction (cropping up all over the place) in the last few weeks. Some gossip (all that is available) suggests that the Irrigation Department are building a canal big enough for 'small ships' (No, this has nothing to do with the Kra Canal!). (or is it big enough for Project 3's Dredgers to dock and unload dredged material, for use as infill elsewhere. Hell of a lot of sand & mud out there!) I'll post some pictures and reports

5:Has there been any rethought about the road tunnel between Singhanakorn and downtown Songkhla?

[Pas]

Kh. Hat-Yai-Junc thanks for links to photos of Tinsunlanon bridge.
However I'm curious...what is the rationale behind the dredging of Songhkla Lake? :confused:
Also apart from the flood prevention scheme, are there other notable building projects in Had Yai at the moment?

[Hat-Yai Junc]

I am not qualified to give you the exact reasons; although apparently Taksin feels it is a good idea. Let's hope he's relying on the opinion of environmental experts rather than his own often overfertile imagination.

I have no idea if this is really an effective way to deal with the dwindling wildlife & fishstocks of the lake; and the effect that is having on those people who rely on the lake for their livelihood. What is known is that the lake is heavily silted up and affected by pollution from Hat-Yai and local latex processing plants. Indeed, another plan is to develop a special industrial estate for latex & associated production. It's within the riverbasin of the lake, but one rationale of centralising production is to get all the companies to use one wastewater teatment system. I believe some fish and shrimp farms use saltwater from the sea, which tends to find itself back in the lake complete with polluting feed residues. Then there is the salination that is probably happening because of rising sea levels. There is now a wastewater treatment plant for Hat-Yai, but I can't really say if it is effective enough. It would be interesting to get some input here from the universities doing research and projects on the lake. There is a Lake Regeneration plan, that I have seen bits of (mostly in Thai), which looks at all aspects of human activity in & around the lake.

The biggest project underway is the gas Pipeline to Malaysia with a Gas Separation Plant near Chana, where the pipeline comes ashore from the Bongkot Field. This project is extremely unpopular with many of the residents in that area. Construction crews have armed security.

Hope that answers some of your questions. Of course, it is small fry compared with projects in Central & Eastern Thailand. Other large projects may be the reward if things go TRT's way down here. Right now, I wouldn't be surprised if he did quite well in this immediate area, but I wouldn't put money on it either way. There is quite an anti-centralist sympathy here, even amongst Buddhists. A bad TRT result here might lead to retaliation of some kind.

[Hat-Yai Junc]

Have received some insider information that bears out the notion that dredging might well help the lake's health. As a brackish lagoon, it has always been susceptible to inundations of both seawater and freshwater at different times of the year; freshwater in the rainy season and seawater at other times. With the denudation of forested mountainsides in the basin, the lake has become increasingly silted up. This has reduced the replacement rate of freshwater from the more northerly freshwater Tale Luang; and there is a very constricted connection between the two lakes. The lake is thus slowly stagnating.

On top of the problems of pollution from Hat-yai, latex production and shrimp production (salt water & feed residues), there is also pollution from other forms of agriculture and fish-farming. Seabass are often fed the unwanted fish from trawling; the stuff that the canners, fish-oil or fishmeal factories don't want. This stuff causes a lot of pollution.

This regime is not quite as willing to initiate this project as I previously mentioned. Apparently, this is one of the projects that Taksin put on a backburner after he fared so badly in this area at the LAST election.

A few pictures of Songkhla & Songkhla Lake Estuary (http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nehtrawihr/album?.dir=/b09b) to give you some feel for the subject. Definitely a degraded national asset.

[GWR]

http://www.talesabsongkhla.org/index.php
The following contributor seems to feel that Thai politicians rarely consult the research on these issues before making decisions.http://www.talesabsongkhla.org/index.php?file=news&obj=forum.view(cat_id=news%2Cid=43)

[GWR]

A bit of fairly simple (perhaps dated) background. Incidentally, I have also found evidence that there is also a plan to create an all new fishing port in Songkhla. have seen some artist's impressions, but still have no idea how 'dated' this project is.
http://wwwscience.murdoch.edu.au/teach/env420/n420content/casestudies/songkhla/
Plus more detail from the World Lakes Database which looks a bit dated too.
http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/asi/asi-02.html

[GWR]

http://wwwscience.murdoch.edu.au/teach/env420/n420content/casestudies/songkhla/imagemp.htm
Some fairly basic background as case studies, from Murdoch University, Australia:-
http://wwwscience.murdoch.edu.au/teach/env420/n420content/casestudies/songkhla/

[GWR]

Southern shore of Songkhla Lake complete with aquaculture & Hat-Yai's Wastewater treatment plant bang in the centre. Khlong Delta to the W and a part of Koh Yor to the E:-
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=7.130702,100.496407&spn=0.059225,0.080561&t=k&hl=en

The 'co-ordinates' for these maps seem a bit fickle. Some, in more populated areas seem to work better than others. With this one, for example, you may need to zoom in to see the described detail; but keep the same 'centerpoint'.

[GWR]

And here's TEAM's PR Blurb on 'Monitoring and Evaluation on Implement of Projects Under Songkhla Lake Basin Integrated Development Plan and Study on Natural Resource and Environmental Indicator of Songkhla Lake Basin Development Project', priced at 4.99 Million Baht. The price of a large house. Compare this with the Power Station EIA at 10,000 Million Baht and you get some idea of how much value is placed on this MASSIVE natural resource surrounded by a lot of relatively poor fisherfolk.
http://www.teamgroup.co.th/en/p0692.htm

[GWR]

SONGKHLA / ENDANGERED SPECIES

Fishing for giant catfish in lake threatens rare Irrawaddy dolphin

KULTIDA SAMABUDDHI ASSAWIN PAKKAWAN

Rampant fishing of giant catfish in Songkhla Lake has become a major threat to the survival of the rare Irrawaddy dolphin, many of which have been killed, according to marine experts.

The giant catfish, or pla buek, have been released into the freshwater lake by the Fisheries Department over the last decade in a bid to increase the fish population and raise fishermen's income.

But the scheme went awry when the giant catfish started growing bigger, reaching around 50 to 60kg in weight. This prompted fishermen to make large fishing nets to catch the fish, which are now the same size as the rare Irrawaddy dolphins, said Supoj Chantharapornsilp, chief of the Marine and Coastal Research Centre in the Lower Gulf of Thailand.

''Since the giant catfish and Irrawaddy dolphin are now similar in size, it is easy for the dolphins to get caught in the giant catfish's net,'' he said.

The centre's latest survey found that there were around 30 dolphins left in Songkhla Lake, but since 11 have died since October last year, the population might have shrunk to less than 20, said Mr Supoj.

''Most were found dead in the giant catfish nets,'' he said.

Songkhla Lake is one of only five freshwater lakes in the world which Irrawaddy dolphin inhabit. The creature normally lives in coastal areas.

Each year, around four or five of Songkhla Lake's dolphins die due to severe degradation of the lake including water pollution, sedimentation, and a reduction in the number of aquatic animals which are the dolphin's staple food, said Mr Supoj.

''But the dolphin's death rate has skyrocketed since October last year when fishermen began massive catching of pla buek in the lake. We have to do something to stop this, or all the dolphins will be killed,'' he said.

The centre, under the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, had declared a 100-square kilometre no-fishing zone to protect the dolphins from being caught.

The area is believed to be a major habitat of the dolphins, said Mr Supoj.

The centre also urged fishermen to alert authorities as soon as they catch a dolphin since there is still a good chance that the mammal could survive.

Fisheries chief Jaranthada Kanasuta said the department was aware of the problem and had stopped giant catfish releases into the lake since last year.

''Survival of the rare Irrawaddy dolphin must come first,'' he said.

He said the department could not prohibit fishermen from catching pla buek since the activity was legal.

However, he believed the problem would ease soon since there were not so many giant catfish left in the lake.

Songserm Churak, head of the Love Dolphin group in Phatthalung province, said tourism was another threat to the Irrawaddy dolphin's survival.

An increase in ''discotheque cruises'' on the lake had disturbed the dolphins, he said.


One of the disco cruises operate from a pier next to a famous seafood restaurant on Koh Yor Island in the middle of the lake - reached by the Tinsulanonda Bridges. Not recommended for any who anyone who really wants to commune with nature!

May expire soon:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/07Sep2007_news11.php