Effects of land-use change on the volume of water flow into the Mun Bon reservoir in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand

Abstract

The land-use patterns in watershed areas in the Chorakhe Hin Sub-district, Khon Buri District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand, have been found to change from forest areas. Different agricultural areas cause variations in the amount of water that flows from the stream into the reservoir, potentially leading to future water shortages. This study was conducted to explore the effects of land-use change on the volume of water flow into the Mun Bon Reservoir, Chorakhe Hin Sub-district, Khon Buri District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. The model analysis techniques, namely Markov’s Chain CLUES and SWAT, were employed to predict the effects of land-use patterns in the area of the upper Mun River on the volume of water flow into the Mun Bon reservoir. According to the predictions obtained based on the land-use models, forest areas may be converted into cassava plantations by 2029. When the comparative effects were considered, the normal volume of water flowing into the Mun Bon reservoir was found to be equivalent to 96 million cubic meter per year. The predicted volume before Christ (A.D.) 2029 is 30 million cubic meter. Accordingly, the water volume in the Mun Bon reservoir would be lower than that derived from the usual land-use patterns.