1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

The Thailand’s Bloodline (Hydrological hazard in the Chao Phraya River) The Biography of Chao Phrava River Thailand’s climate is predominantly tropical in nature although its most southerly provinces experience a moonsoon dominated climate which produces wet and dry periods. Between the transitional periods of moonsoons, Thailand receives several tropical storms and depressions that bring 70 percent of the country’s annual precipitation. Thailand is advantageous to many countries in other parts of the world because of its abundance of water. The plain surrounding a river is called a river basin. There are 25 main river basins in Thailand accounting for 80 percent of the total area. This attribute mates Thailand one of the world’s most fertile countries. The most important and biggest river basin is the Chao Phraya, the country’s principal river, is fed by six tributaries, including the Ping, Wang, Yom, Nan, Pa Sat and Sa-Krae-Krang Rivers. The Chao Phraya river basin accounts for 30 per cent of the country’s total area and covers 22 provinces including Bangkok. Due to an apt climate and landform, the Thai economy has always been largely based on agriculture. The Central Plain is the major area of farmland and is recognized as the country’s main agricultural producer. The quantity of run off in the Chao Phraya River, the bloodline of the central region, is large even in the dry season since it receives regular supplies of water from tributaries in the Northern region. /2