CityNews – Local officials are attempting to clean the moat water to make it safe for Songkran after the moat water recently turned green after an algae bloom.
On March 29, irrigation officials inspected the moat to asses what needs to be done to ensure the moat water will be safe enough for people to use during Songkran. The moat, especially at Katam Corner, has suffered a recent algae bloom that could be dangerous to people playing with the water over the Songkran festival.
The water smells bad and de-oxygenates the water beneath it as no sunlight can reach the organic life under the surface.
The municipality has said that they are currently closing 18 weirs along the canals to help force water to flow through the moat and potentially wash away much of the algae.
Chensak Limpiti, the Director of Chiang Mai Irrigation told reporters that usually the moat water is supplied by the Mae Taeng Receiver, however due to partial droughts, the water has recently been supplied from the Mae Yuak Reservoir instead.
The plan to reserve some water to refill the moat a few days before Songkran in a bid at keeping it from suffering another algae bloom before the celebrations.