Water security fears grow

An aerial photograph taken by the Pollution Control Department on June 9, 2025, during a survey of the Kok River shows how it has turned deep red due to chemical contamination. The river originates in Myanmar's Shan State before flowing into the Mekong River in Chiang Saen district of Chiang Rai. (Photo courtesy of Pollution Control Department)

A series of emerging reports in recent weeks concerning tight water supplies and river pollution in central and northern Thailand mean the nation is now facing a challenging water security situation, experts say.

The reports include a Thai-owned waste management plant in Saraburi province that has allegedly been polluting canals with heavy metals, a case of transboundary water pollution in Chiang Rai province caused by unregulated mining activity in Myanmar, and a local protest against the construction of a Chinese-owned mining plant in Kanchanaburi province due to fears of pollution.