Yuam River
The Yuam River near Mae Sariang
Map of the Thai highlands
Native nameแม่น้ำยวม (Thai)
Location
CountryThailand, Burma
StateMae Hong Son Province (Thailand)
DistrictKhun Yuam District, Mae La Noi District, Mae Sariang District, Sop Moei District
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationThanon Thong Chai Range, Khun Yuam District, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand
MouthMoei River
  location
At the border with Burma
  coordinates
17°49′55″N 97°41′31″E / 17.83194°N 97.69194°E / 17.83194; 97.69194
  elevation
52 m (171 ft)

The Yuam River (Thai: แม่น้ำยวม is a river in northwestern Thailand, part of the Salween watershed. It originates in the mountains of the Thanon Thong Chai Range, Khun Yuam District, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. The river flows in a northsouth direction and then in Sop Moei District it bends westwards and then northwestwards, forming a stretch of the Thai/Burmese border shortly before it joins the left bank of the Moei River, shortly before its confluence with the Salween.

The Ngao River, which unlike most rivers in Thailand flows northwards, is one of the Yuam's main tributaries.[1]

Environment

The Thai government, to solve persistent water shortages in the central region, have proposed a 70.7 billion baht plan to divert some 1.8 billion m3 of water annually from the Yuam River to the perennially-underfilled Bhumibol Dam. As part of the plan, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID), would build 69 metre high dam with a storage capacity of 68.7 million m3 constructed on 2,075 rai of forest land, together with a pumping station on a separate 55 rai plot and a 61.5 kilometre-long tunnel passing through 14 villages. The inhabitants of the area—primarily Karen tribes people—largely oppose the project. In December 2019, the RID submitted a second environmental impact assessment (EIA) to the Office of the Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP). ONEP rejected the EIA for the second time due to concerns about forest destruction, tunnel rock waste, and compensation issues.[2]

See also

References

  1. "Mae Ngao National Park". Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
  2. Boonlert, Thana (7 April 2020). "Yuam River dam diverts more than just flow". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 7 April 2020.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.