Pasak Jolasit Dam

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The Pasak Jolasit Dam (Thai: เขื่อนป่าสักชลสิทธิ์) stops the Pa Sak River at Ban Kaeng Sua Ten, Tambon Nongbua, Phatthana Nikhom District, Lopburi Province, central Thailand.

The 4,860 meter long and 36.5 meter high dam is an earth-filled dam with an impervious core. The storage capacity is 785 million cubic meter of water at normal water level, with a maximum capacity of 960 million cubic meters. Additionally to the water management the dam also supplies about 6.7 MW of hydro-electric power.

[edit] History

The Pasak Jolasit Dam Project is a big irrigation project of Thailand, providing water to the plantations in the Pasak valley and lower Chao Phraya valley. The dam also decreases problems of water management in Bangkok by allowing more flood control, as the Pa Sak river was one of the main sources of flooding in the Bangkok metropolitan area.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej initiated a project to develop the Pa Sak River valley and lower Chao Phraya valley on February 19, 1989. On July 4, 1991 the Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun commanded to set a study group for the dam project. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided a royal ceremony on June 15, 1998, starting the storing of water in the reservoir.

On October 20, 1991 King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave the dam its official name, Pasak Jolasit. The king also presided the royal grand opening the dam on November 25, 1999.