Cha-am residents warned to prepare for possible water disruption from 21 August
Cha-am residents are being urged to store enough water for up to a week ahead of possible water supply disruption from 21 August, when water releases from Kaeng Krachan Dam are due to be temporarily suspended.
Cha-am Municipality issued the warning ahead of maintenance work at the Kaeng Krachan Dam Power Plant, where ageing equipment, including the Main Inlet Valve, is due to be replaced after more than 50 years of use.
The Cha-am water disruption could affect households, businesses, farmers and other water users during periods when downstream releases are halted.
Water disruption schedule
- 18–20 August: Water releases will continue at 25 cubic metres per second, giving residents time to prepare and store water.
- 21–25 August: Water releases downstream of Kaeng Krachan Dam will be suspended while the Main Inlet Valve and associated equipment are removed and replaced. This is expected to be the main period when water supplies in Cha-am could be affected.
- 26–29 August: Water releases will resume at 30 cubic metres per second.
- 30 August: Water releases will be suspended again for system testing, meaning further disruption to local supplies is possible.
- 31 August: Normal releases under the rainy-season water management plan are scheduled to resume.
Residents advised to store water
Cha-am Municipality is advising households to store enough water for at least five to seven days, particularly for drinking, cooking and essential household use.
Residents and businesses are also being asked to conserve water and monitor updates from the Kaeng Krachan Water Delivery and Maintenance Project.
Officials said normal water releases could be restored earlier if the improvement work is completed ahead of schedule.
The municipality has stressed that the planned suspension relates to releases from Kaeng Krachan Dam and may affect local water distribution, rather than confirming that all areas of Cha-am will experience a complete water outage.
