Visitors to Songkran asked to bring their own water

March 31, 2016 By Richard

Overseas visitors to this year’s Songkran Festival asked to bring their own water

Songkran Bangkok – I’ve got you in my sights Mister
Photo credit: Barbara Simmons

Author: Private Tye – original article here

Carnival in Rio, Oktoberfest in Munich, Bull running in Pamplona and Water Festival in Mai Chang. These are “a must” on the international party-goers circuit. However, there have been worries that the water festival, which the locals call “Songkran” may be canceled due to drought. Songkran takes place at the end of April when the weather is at its hottest. Locals spend three days throwing buckets of water at each other. Visitors from all over the world head to Mai Chang to get drunk and join in the fun.

The Gauliter of Mai Chang Province told Private Tye that the festival would go ahead. Since last year, locals have been collecting and hoarding Songkran water from their vanishing ponds. It might be a bit muddy, but it won’t be canceled, he added. However, he said, we are asking overseas visitors to bring their own water, as most of them come from wet countries so that should not be a problem. Tap water rationing in many of the villages of Mai Chang province has been going on for months, but, the Gauliter told us, there will be no rationing of tap water to Mai Chang city centre because rich people live there.

Reaction to the drought from Mai Chang’s ex-pat residents has been complete indifference. Bruce Roohunter from Alice Springs said “Mai Chang was dry as a nun’s nasty, but no problems, I get all my water in polyethylene bottles, as to laundry well that’s for the maid to sort out”. Brad Indiangrave, from Arizona, said “I like it, every year Mai Chang becomes more like home”. Pedro Mescal from Mexico was enthusiastic, he explained that he was buying up land to grow agave cacti and would soon be starting the country’s first tequila distillery.

The Gauliter said that El Nino was the sole cause of the drought, and that the massive on-going deforestation in Omkoi and Mae Chaem had go absolutely nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, shills working on Reddit put out the story that the drought was the result of the Chinese building a dam on the Yangtze River.