In 2005, severe drought in the region led to a conflict in water resource allocation among the agricultural, industrial, and domestic consumption sectors. It was so severe that the industrial sector had to hunt for every drop of water from any sources it could find, including shipping water by truck from nearby regions. Imagine if the petrochemical industry was forced to suspend its operations for two months, how severe would the impact be on the country's gross domestic product?
This issue highlights the importance of risk management for water security, not only in Rayong but also in the greater region. By conducting a risk assessment for the East Coast - Gulf Basin using the water balance and scenario analysis (HAII, 2008b), we were able to create flood and drought risk maps (Figure 8). In this case, the Mab Ta Phut area typically has a risk of drought whereas two out of three areas (areas 3, 4 and 5 in Figure 8) supplying water to Mab Ta Phut have a severe drought risk and one of them also has a risk of flooding