(1) Both Yangon and Bangkok have experienced overexploitation of groundwater, leading to significant drops in groundwater levels and deterioration of groundwater quality. (2) In Bangkok, overexploitation caused severe land subsidence of up to 12 cm/year in the 1980s. Land subsidence has since been controlled to 1-2 cm/year through groundwater management. (3) In Yangon, while land subsidence has not been observed, groundwater levels have dropped by nearly 100% in downtown areas since 1992 due to lack of groundwater management and regulation of pumping.

1. OVEREXPLOITATION OF GROUNDWATER
AND
CONSEQUENCE
IN
YANGON (Myanmar) AND BANGKOK (Thailand)
Prepared by: Myint Thein [Groundwater & Wells Consultant (Freelance) ]
Advisory Group Member (Groundwater) NWRC, Myanmar
myint.thein.geo@gmail.com
November 2018
1

2. MAGNITUDE
YANGON
Greater Yangon 4 Districts
33 Townships
Population 7.6 million (2016)
Métropolitain 10,170 km2
(City Area) (3930 Sq mi)
Bangkok 50 Districts in Bangkok
Metropolitain 7 Provinces
Population 9.60 million(2018)
Métropolitain 10,300 km2(2003)
(City Area) (3976 Sq mi)
BANGKOK
2

3. SATELITE IMAGE
YANGON BANGKOK
Gyobyu
Reservoir
Ngamoeyeik
Reservoir
Phugyi
Reservoir
Hlawga
Reservoir
Nyaungnapinw
ater treatment
Plant
Inya Lake
Kandawg
yi Lake
Bay of
Bangkok
3

4. GEOLOGY
YANGON
 1 Alluvial deposit (Holocene age)
(composed of gravel, sand, silt, clay and
laterite)
 2. Valley Filled Deposit (Pleistocene
age) (includes the older alluvium of
terrace of unconsolidated gravels,
sands and silts)
 3. Ayeyarwady Formation (the non-
marine fluvial sediments) (Pliocene
age)(composed of Arzanigon Sand-rock,
Sand(fine o medium grain), fine grain
gravel and Danyingon Clay)
 4. Upper Pegu Group (miocene)
(consist of (Thadugan Sandstone,
Hlawga Shale, Besapat Alternations)
and limited of Thadugan sandstone
 NOTE: The rock type in Greater Yangon
is mainly soft rock
BANGKOK
 1 Bangkok Clay or Marine
clay(grey and greenish-grey
clay) in the upper part soft
to soft; stiff clay and hard in
some deeper depth
 2 Pleistocene sediment of
tidal-dominated deposits
(sediments consist of sand,
silt, clay, and gravel.
 3 The pre-Tertiary
basement consists of
sedimentary, igneous and
metamorphic rocks
4

5. GEOLOGICAL MAPS (BANGKOK AND YANGON)
5

6. HYDROGEOLOGY (Groundwater Hydrology)
YANGON
 Greater Yangon Aquifer system is
composed of Alluvial, Valley Filled,
Irrawadan and Pegun aquifers.
 Alluvial aquifer is unconfined with the
thickness of 20 meters (250ft) yield (45
– 2200)m3/day
 Valley Filled Aquifer, thickness is from
35 to 90 meter (120 to 300 feet), is
principle aquifer with the high amount
of yield (1000 – 4000)m3/day
 Irrawaddy Aquifer thick is ranging from
250meters (800 feet to more) with the
yield ranging from 70m3/day to
2270m3/day
 Peguan Group is poor Aquifer
discharge low yield with non-potable
quality
 Yangon is rich in groundwater resources
BANGKOK
 Hydrogeological Setting
 Occupied much of Lower Chao Phraya
Basin
 Underlain by thick inter-bedded alluvial
and marine sediment (~ 600 m depth)
 8 semi-confined aquifers overlain by
Holocene Bangkok marine clay
 Bangkok Aquifer System composed of 8
confined aquifer
 Most of groundwater extraction from 3
aquifers at depths 100- 250 m (PD, NL,
and NB Aquifers)
 Nonthaburi (NB) Aquifer one of the
most productive, yielding up to 200
m3/hr of excellent quality water
 Deeper aquifers seldom used by
domestic wells
 Groundwater discharge are more
discharge than Yangon
6

7. Geological / Hydrogeological profiles
of
Yangon and Bangkok
are showing
in
next two slides
7

8. Geological Cross-Section showing the aquifers
Bangkok
8

9. Geological Cross-Section of showing the aquifers
Greater Yangon
9

10. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
YANGON BANGKOK
 1950 Start groundwater
development with
over exploitation
 1954 8360m3/day
(discharged)
 1969 Land subsidence give
alert the authority and
public
 1976 937,000m3/day
(Discharged)
 1977 An act of Groundwater
 1978 Start action and license
for groundwater
activities
 1842 (Myanmar King Era)
30 Wells
Private wells
 1893 17 tube wells
 1901 56 tube wells
 1920 75 tube wells
8000m3/day
 1924 139 tube wells
11000 m3/day
 1930 400 tube-wells
31000 m3/day
 1939 An act of Groundwater
law: water wells
Drilling licensed fee
was10Kyats
10

11. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
(Continued)
YANGON
 1958 450 tube-wells
35000m3/day
 1972 900 tube wells
71000m3/day
 1986 3000 tube-wells
237000m3/day
 After 1988 there are not drilling
license fee and many private
tube-wells (Domestic, Industries
and others) are at 33 townships in
Yangon City; (more than 200,000
tube-wells are discharging: predict
50% of population are relying on
groundwater
BANGKOK
 1980 Metropolitan
waterworks Authority
(MWA) discharged
500000 m3/day (132MGD)
from 3 aquifers:
(Phra Pradaeng, Nakhon
Luang and Nonthaburi)
caused land subsidence in
center of Metropolitan area
 1984 Defined Groundwater
tariff: 1Bt/m3 in 6 provinces
 1990s 2000000m3/day(2MCM)
 1992 Amended the
Groundwater Act
 1994 Increased the tariff
up to 3.5Bt/m3 in 6 provinces
11

12. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
(Continued)
YANGON
 1992 YCDC start use
Groundwater20MGD
(90910m3/day)
 2003 74MGD(280148m3/day)
(private wells)
 2013 54.52MGD
(206380m3/day)
YCDC (645 Wells)
106.10MGD(401632 m3/day)
Private
 2015 198.3MGD
(475000m3/day) Private wells
 2017 52.2MGD(private wells)
(YCDC distribute 205MGD
to 60% of population)
BANGKOK
 1995 Signify the 7 provinces
as critical groundwater
usage region
 1997 Developed to pay the
groundwater charges
by user
 2003 Increased groundwater
use fee to 8.50 Bt/m3
 2003 Amended the
Groundwater Act
 2004 200000m3/day
(2.2MCM)Total
1800000m3/day
(1.8MCM/day) (Private)
12

13. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
(Continued)
YANGON BANGKOK
 2004 Imposed the
Groundwater
preservation charge
in Central Zone Bangkok
 2004-2006 Groundwater
conservation fee
increased to 8.5Bt/m3
in 7 provinces and (industrial
and commercial Groundwater
users defined to pay total of
t 17.0 /m3
 2008 over 4000 licensed
water wells for domestic
extracted 1.6Mm3/day
58% 0f industries are
licensed
13

14. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
(Continued)
YANGON
 US$0.44/ m3 for households
used and US$0.88/m3 for
commercial used YCDC
water supply
(Source: YCDC, 2006
 Free Religious (temple,
mosque, church, pagoda),
BANGKOK
 2011 Not more than
1.25Million m3/day
 2011 Conservation fee
was dropped 50% because
land subsidence was
improvement
 Today: Control groundwater
The current groundwater
abstraction is under
1 MCMD.
The overall subsidence
rate has been improved to less
than 2-3 cm/year in central
Bangkok and less than 1 cm/year
in overall area.
14

15. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
(Continued)
YANGON BANGKOK
Groundwater UserGroundwater User
15

16. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
(Continued)
YANGON BANGKOK
ORGANIZATION
Ministry of National
Resources and Environment
Department of Groundwater Resources (2002)
Groundwater Control & Legislation
Groundwater Conservation & Restoration
Groundwater Potential Assessment
Groundwater Exploration & Mapping
Groundwater Drilling
Regional Groundwater Offices
Provincial Groundwater Control Office
InstitutionforBangkok
ORGANIZATION
There is not institution /
organization
For
Groundwater
Management
&
Development
to control
groundwater Resources
up to the end 2018
16

17. GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT
(Continued)
YANGON BANGKOK
INSTITUTION OF GROUNDWATER
RESOURCES, THAILAND
INSTITUTION OF GROUNDWATER
RESOURCES, MYANMAR
There is not institution /
organization for Groundwater
Management to control
the multi-users
up to the end 2018
17

18. GROUNDWATER ACT
YANGON
 1939 British Governor act
“ The Underground Water
Act” Union of Burma
(Burma Act IV,1930)
(21st June 1930)
Especially for Down Town
Rangoon, Insein ) (Now
Yangon City area)
 Drilling License fee was
10Kyats (10 Rupee in British
Colony Time)(up to 1988)
BANGKOK
 1977 Activate Groundwater
Act
18

19. GROUNDWATER ACT
YANGON
 After 1988
Water Wells
drilling
license
Fees are not paid
BANGKOK
• 1992 Amendments:
Groundwater Act, B.E. 2520 (1977)
Continued
19

20. GROUNDWATER ACT
YANGON BANGKOK
Continued
20

21. GROUNDWATER LAW
YANGON
 2016-17
New Groundwater Act
was prepared and
submitted to
Senate by
Department of Urban
and housing Department,
Public Work Corporation,
Ministry of Construction
 2017 Processing
at Cabinet
BANGKOK
 1994 Groundwater
use fee increased to
3.5 Bht/m3
 1995 All provinces
identified as
groundwater use regions
(must pay groundwater
use fee)
TODAY Number of
groundwater users and
resources management are
under groundwater act (1977)
Continued
21

22. CONSQUENCES
B . LAND SUBSIDENCE
A . GROUNDWATER LEVEL
C. GROUNDWATER QUALITY DETERIORATION
22

23. A . GROUNDWATER LEVEL
YANGON
 1992 Groundwater
Level was within 40 ft
from ground in down town
9 townships Yangon city
 Other townships are also
not beyond 40 ft below
ground level
 Nowadays Groundwater
Water levels are dropping
; compared with existing
hydrogeological monitoring data
from 1992 are nearly 100% drop,
mostly in Downtowns Yangon City
BANGKOK
 Before 1958 Water level
was very shallow below
ground level water level
4.5 meters
 1968-69 groundwater level
reached 25.30 meters
 1978-1999 Groundwater
level has declined
55 meters by pumping
rate 2.5MCMD
 Groundwater level has been
recovered 40 meter
and above after pumping
rate Under 1MCMD
23

24. A. GROUNDWATER LEVEL
BANGKOK
Continued
Source: Water level from three major aquifers and total land subsidence in Central Bangkok.
Department of Groundwater Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment,Thailand.
24

25. A. GROUNDWATER LEVEL Continued
YANGON
25

26. B. LAND SUBSIDENCE
YANGON BANGKOK
 1960’s First noticed of
Bangkok Land subsidence
 Early 1980s Land subsidence
was critical state
It’s highest rate was
12cm/year
 1983 Land Subsidence rate
(Centimeter / year)
(10)> Central Zones ≥(5)
 Up to 1999 Total settlement
was 100cm for 21Years
with the structures’ load,
traffic surcharge and
groundwater exploitation
in central area.
Continued
 Distinguish land subsidence
are no noticed and evidence
26

27. B. LAND SUBSIDENCE
YANGON
 No evidence are recorded
but it could be happened
along riversides and soft
soil area
 High rise buildings are
huge numbers and
because of structure’ load,
weak foundation, less
Geotechnical
Instrumentation
and groundwater decline
BANGKOK
Land subsidence
continued
27

28. B. LAND SUBSIDENCE
YANGON
 There are not Marine Clay as
distinguished layer
Citywide in Yangon
reference to
Tube wells logs
BANGKOK
 The upper clay layer,
Marine Clay (better
known as Bangkok Clay
10-30 meters thickness
is key to land subside
because of over groundwater
xploitation
 TODAY
land subsidence is
controlled (1-2cm/year)
under Groundwater
management by Law
Continued
28

29. B. LAND SUBSIDENCE
YANGON BANGKOK
Continued
MARINE CLAY
Central BangkokLower Kyimyintaing
29

30. B. LAND SUBSIDENCE
YANGON
Abandon well head is effected by land subsidence. The difference between a recent
road level and a previous road level. Land subsidence rate is about 1.25 meter(during
1980-2003).
BANGKOK
Continued
30

31. C. GROUNDWATER QUALITY DETERIORATION
YANGON BANGKOK
 The major cause of
inferiority of the groundwater
water quality in Bangkok City
is NaCl, Hardness, Fe & Mn.
 Chloride > 1500mg/l ,
Hardness > 920ppm,
 Fe/Mn > 2.0ppm
 Depression of pizometric
surfaces raised concerns about
aquifer sea-water intrusion but
the rate of movement of salt
water is relatively lower than
fresh water movement toward
cones of depression.
• the ground water from tube
wells are expected to have
water quality problems,
especially high concentrations
of saline (Cl+), iron (Fe+2,
Fe+3) and acidity (pH).
Because Yangon City is
located near the Andaman Sea
and Bay of Bangle, saline
intrusion has reached well into
the inland area especially in
southern part of Yangon City.
Chloride (Cl+ ion) content is
between 1,000–10,000mg per
liter somewhere in Yangon
City.
Continued
31

32. C. GROUNDWATER QUALITY DETERIORATION
YANGON
BANGKOK
32

33. CONCLUSION
 Study Groundwater in Bangkok and Groundwater in Yangon
get clear vision on eventuality
 Finding:
 Geology , Hydrogeology and host rocks are different
 Groundwater Management and Act
 Fee for water well drilling, groundwater use and conservation
charges in Bangkok are perfected but not in Yangon City
 Groundwater discharge in Bangkok are more than discharge in
Yangon.
 Control the water wells drilling and discharge water from individual
well in Bangkok
 Groundwater qualities are not so different in Chloride / Chlorite in
both Bangkok and Yangon
 Salt water intrusion townships / area in Yangon is more than in
Bangkok
33

34. CONCLUSION continued
 Number of tube wells ( 100mm and above) are more in
Bangkok than Yangon.
 The great difference is “Groundwater Act”
 Groundwater Act is active and ruling the groundwater
management in Bangkok as well as Thailand countrywide
 There are “ No Groundwater Act “ not only in Yangon but
Countrywide also (It say under processing)
 Groundwater management in Yangon is 42 years behind
Groundwater management in Bangkok
34

35. CONCLUSION (continued)
• In Bangkok, Marine clay are distinctive to land subsidence
from the points of geotechnical engineering and
groundwater engineering.
• Groundwater & wells are under controlled , nowadays
• Subsidence has been happen but less and get stability in
Bangkok
• In Yangon, There are no outstanding of Marine Clay as like
Bangkok; especially in city downtown (metropolitan) area.
• Description of land subsidence are not reported in Greater
Yangon
• Water wells drilling and discharge from wells are own
decision
• Groundwater Act is not in Groundwater Industries and action
may be active after Law is approved in Yangon
35

36. Suggestion for Yangon Groundwater
11 Points are suggested as below:
1.Restriction of groundwater extraction by Law
2.Natural and artificial recharge and discharge of aquifers
3.Development of alternative water supply (instead of groundwater)
4.Integrated (Urban) flood water management
5.Improving governance and decision-making by Groundwater Act
6.Decision support models and tools by technical management
7.Appropriate monitoring and database system
8.Integrating geotechnical aspects in planning and design of buildings
and infrastructure
9.Asset management, financing and public-private-partnerships(PPP)
10.Exchange of knowledge and best practices
11.View and review the existing groundwater discharging
CONCLUSION (Continued)
36

37. CONCLUSION (Continue)
 Special thanks to
U Myo Aung (Hydrogeologist / Bangkok) and Ma Pwint
Pyu Aye PhD (AIT, Bangkok) for their provision of valuable
information of Bangkok Groundwater / Hydrogeology.
U Wanna Pho (Director PGE) and U Hsan Wynn( GE /RE)
for his valuable information of Geotechnical Engineering works
including piles foundation in Yangon City area.
U Hsan Wynn (Professional Geotechnical Engineer /RE)
U Aung Kyaw Swar Drilling Master (Private Water Wells
driller Contractor) in Yangon.
37

38. 38

39. Be aware of Groundwater
in Myanmar
Myint Thein, Consultant (Groundwater & Wells), myint.thein.geo@gmail.com
39
November 2018