Water allocation and management in Northern Thailand: The case of mae sa watershed

Abstract

© 2007, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Physical availability of water and technical means for water storage and conveyance do not necessarily guarantee access to water for all groups of society. This is particularly true for the highland areas of northern Thailand where water is the object of competition by diverse stakeholders. While agriculture remains the main user of available water resources — the sector accounts for about 80 percent of water use — other sectors, such as tourism, water companies and other industries, are continuously increasing their share of the water used. Downstream residents are becoming increasingly aware of the deleterious effects that upstream water users can have on both water quality and quantity. Hence, intersectoral competition and conflicts between upstream and downstream water users have become a widespread phenomenon in many watersheds of northern Thailand (Charoenmuang, 1994). In recent years, highland areas have faced serious problems related to water, particularly water shortages during the dry season.