LAM PA CHI RIVER BASIN (THAILAND)

Hydrology

GROUNDWATER AQUIFERS 

Table: Aquifers in the basin

Name Age

Area (km2)

Metamorphic aquifer Cambrian to Devonian

133.9

Granitic aquifers Cretaceous

810.2

Carbonate aquifer Ordovician

3.7

Carbonate aquifer Permian

28.7

Metasediment aquifer Permian to Carboniferous

978.6

Metamorphic aquifer unknown

233.8

Colluvial aquifer upper Tertiary to Quaternary

384.3

 

Aquifers in the basin were dated from Cambrian to Quaternary periods. The Metasediment aquifers in Permian to Carboniferous periods share the largest areas and the aquifers formed in Ordovician period are smallest. The granitic aquifers and colluvial aquifers have good quality while the water quality of Carbonate aquifers is moderate and the water quality of metamorphic aquifers is suitable for domestic use (Department of Water Resources, Thai MONRE).

The main channel is 130 km long and it has its headwaters in the western and southern mountain range draining the basin in a South-North orientation before meeting the Thai Khoei river. Streamflow responds accordingly to the precipitation pattern showing two main seasons: a wet and a dry season. According to monthly data available at the most downstream discharge station (k.62) the highest discharge occurs in October with an average value of 56 m³/s while the driest months are from January until March with less than 3 m³/s of streamflow in average. The ratio between the highest and the lowest streamflow is 25:1 showing a high intra-annual variability. Furthermore, two of the most relevant environmental problems in the basins are related with the response of the streamflow during the two abovementioned seasons: (i) flooding during the wet season and (ii) water scarcity during the dry period. 

 

References and further reading:

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Krishna Bahadur, K. C. (2009) Mapping soil erosion susceptibility using remote sensing and GIS: A case of the Upper Nam Wa Watershed, Nan Province, Thailand, Environmental Geology 57(3): 695-705.

Lal, R. (2001) Soil degradation by erosion, Land Degradation and Development 12(6): 519-539.

LDD (2000) Soil Erosion in Thailand. Land Development Department, Ministry of Agriculture and cooperatives.

Meier, G., Zumbroich, T., Roehrig, J. (2013) Hydromorphological assessment as a tool for river basin management: The German field survey method, Journal of Natural Resources and Development 3: 14-26.

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Nontananandh , S., Changnoi, B. (2012) Internet GIS, based on USLE modeling, for assessment of soil erosion in Songkhram watershed, Northeastern of Thailand, Kasetsart Journal - Natural Science 46(2): 272-282.

Paiboonsak, S., Chanket, U., Mongkolsawat, C., Yommaraka, B., Wattanakit, N. (2005) Spatial modeling for soil erosion risk in upper Chi basin, Northeast Thailand, 26th Asian Conference on Remote Sensing, ACRS 2005 and 2nd Asian Space Conference, ASC, Ha Noi.

Paiboonvorachat, C., Oyana, T. J.  (2011) Land-cover changes and potential impacts on soil erosion in the nan watershed, Thailand, International Journal of Remote Sensing 32(21): 6587-6609.

Pensuk, A., Shrestha, R. P. (2010) GIS application for assessing the effects of land use change on surface runoff and soil erosion in phatthalung watershed, Southern Thailand, 31st Asian Conference on Remote Sensing 2010, ACRS 2010, Hanoi.

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