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River Systems of Thailand


Thailand has 25 river basins with 254 sub-basins. Rainwater is one of the most important sources of water. Thailand's water resource per capita is less than that of other countries in the region.

The two principal river systems of Thailand are the Chao Phraya and the Mekong. Together, these rivers support the irrigation for Thailand's agricultural economy.

In addition to these two large systems, there are a number of other river systems and individual rivers which drain the lands within Thailand's borders into the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. One-third of the nation's rivers flow into the Mekong. The Mekong is the only river system in Thailand which drains into the South China Sea.

The Chao Phraya River system is the main river system of Thailand, as its basin defines much of the region of central Thailand. The Chao Phraya River begins at the confluence of the Ping and Nan Rivers at Nakhon Sawan (also called Pak Nam Pho) in Nakhon Sawan Province. It then flows from north to south for 372 kilometres (231 mi) from the central plains through Bangkok to the Gulf of Thailand.

In Chai Nat, the river splits into the main river course and the Tha Chin River, which then flows parallel to the main river and exits to the Gulf of Thailand about 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of Bangkok in Samut Sakhon. In the low alluvial plain which begins below the Chai Nat Dam, many small canals (khlong) split off from the main river. The khlong are used for the irrigation of the region's rice paddies.

The principal tributaries of the Chao Phraya River are the Pa Sak River, the Sakae Krang River, the Nan River (along with its principal confluent the Yom River), the Ping River (with its principal confluent the Wang River), and the Tha Chin River. Each of these tributaries (and the Chao Phraya itself) is further tributed by additional minor tributaries often referred to as khwae. All of the tributaries, including the lesser khwae, form an extensive tree-like pattern, with branches flowing through nearly every province in central and northern Thailand.


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