Khwae Noi River, Phitsanulok

The Khwae Noi River ( _th. แควน้อย) is a river in northern Thailand. It shares the same name as another river in Thailand, the popular tourist attraction also known as "The River Kwai." These are two distinct bodies of water.

Etymology

The first element khwae (Thai: แคว) means tributary. The second element noi (Thai: น้อย) means small.

Geography

The river's source lies in the mountains of Chat Trakan District, Phitsanulok Province, within Namtok Chat Trakan National Park. From there, it flows past the agricultural lands of in the Chat Trakan District, and through the Wat Bot, Wang Thong and Phrom Phiram Districts. [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:NBEBWlwNjdYJ:www.chaipat.or.th/chaipat/journal/dec03/khwaenoi_e.pdf+Khwae+Noi+River,+Phitsanulok&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us Khwae Noi Dam Project According to the Royal Initiative] ] Finally, the Khwae Noi River joins the Nan River within Chom Thong, Mueang Phitsanulok District. The Khwae Noi River is part of the Chao Phraya River System which ultimately drains into the Gulf of Thailand. [http://www.thaitambon.com/tambon/ttambon.asp?ID=650112 ThaiTambon.com] ]

History

The Khwae Noi River has historically been a main waterway, highly significant to the residents of Phitsanulok Province and surrounding areas. [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:NBEBWlwNjdYJ:www.chaipat.or.th/chaipat/journal/dec03/khwaenoi_e.pdf+Khwae+Noi+River,+Phitsanulok&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us Khwae Noi Dam Project According to the Royal Initiative] ] [http://www.rdpb.go.th/rdpb/EN/BRANDSITE/theproject_detail.aspx?id=102 Office of the Royal Developments Project Board-The Royal-Initiated Khwae Noi Dam Project, Wat Bot District, Phitsanulok Province] ] The Khwae Noi River, along with the larger Nan River brought growth and prosperity and served as a communication route for Phitsanulok, and the two rivers gave rise to riparian ways of life which heavily influenced the simple traditional culture of the Thai people in the region. [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:NBEBWlwNjdYJ:www.chaipat.or.th/chaipat/journal/dec03/khwaenoi_e.pdf+Khwae+Noi+River,+Phitsanulok&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us Khwae Noi Dam Project According to the Royal Initiative] ]

Tributaries

The principal tributaries of the Khwae Noi are the Om Sing River and the Fua River.

Khwae Noi Dam Project

In recent times, due to climate change, the river has been flooding during rainy seasons and damaging valuable farmland and also carrying too much water into the Nan (of which it is a tributary), thereby causing further damage. Additionally, during the dry seasons, the water level has been too low, causing draught, and again harming the agricultural communities in its proximity. [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:NBEBWlwNjdYJ:www.chaipat.or.th/chaipat/journal/dec03/khwaenoi_e.pdf+Khwae+Noi+River,+Phitsanulok&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us Khwae Noi Dam Project According to the Royal Initiative] ] [http://www.rdpb.go.th/rdpb/EN/BRANDSITE/theproject_detail.aspx?id=102 Office of the Royal Developments Project Board-The Royal-Initiated Khwae Noi Dam Project, Wat Bot District, Phitsanulok Province] ] As a result of increasing problems with the flow of the river, the Royal-Initiated Khwae Noi Dam Project has been established in Wat Bot. [http://www.rdpb.go.th/rdpb/EN/BRANDSITE/theproject_detail.aspx?id=102 Office of the Royal Developments Project Board-The Royal-Initiated Khwae Noi Dam Project, Wat Bot District, Phitsanulok Province] ] The construction of the dam is scheduled for completion in 2007.

References