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Groundwater control measures for salinity management and agriculture in the Khon Kaen area, north east Thailand

Project ID

LWR1/1992/022

Project Country

Commissioned Organisation

University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Australia

Project Leader

Professor Michael Knight

Email

groundwater.management@uts.edu.au

Phone: 

02 9514 1984

Fax: 

02 9514 1985

Collaborating Institutions

Department of Mineral Resources, Groundwater Division, Thailand

Project Budget

$449,681.00

Start Date

01/07/1993

Finish Date

31/12/1996

Extension Start Date

31/12/1996

Extension Finish Date

31/12/1997

ACIAR Research Program Manager

Dr Ian Willett

Overview Objectives

The objectives of this project are to study the hydroecology of an area of 108 000 hectares in the Khon Kaen area of northeast Thailand. The study will include: local and regional flow systems; location of recharge and discharge areas; origins of salinity; water-use requirements of tree species targeted for planting on recharge areas; and the causes and distribution of high nitrate levels in groundwater.

Further objectives involve the evaluation of selected management methods including deep-well injection of brine and the development of methods for forecasting potential salinisation problems that could occur with changing land use.

Project Background and Objectives

About six million hectares of northeast Thailand are salt affected (34% of the NE region). Rice yields and economic returns from salt-affected soils are about one-third of those from non-affected soils. The Thai Government has recognised the problem of salinity and has introduced a long-term reforestation program, allocating approximately 5 million rai for tree planting in the most recent (199296) development plan.

Usually, however, the best results for the management of land degradation caused by salinity, have been obtained by combining many strategies. Dryland salinity is mainly the result of saline groundwater discharging at the ground surface. Shallow groundwater salinity is caused by deep groundwater dissolving salt from thick salt deposits that come within 60 metres of the surface in some places.

Location

There are no project locations defined for this project.