Location Resources Udon Thani

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4.2.1 Location

In the northern part of the Isan region, Udon Thani is the capital Amphoe Muang of Udon Thani province latitude 17°2427N and longitude 102°4735E with its boundary stretching to Nong Khai in the north, Khon Kaen in the south, Sakon Nakhon in the east and Nong Bua Lamphu in the west. Located 60 kilometers away, from the Lao PDR border and the Nong Khai checkpoint, Muang Udon Thani forms a plateau, 187 meters above sea level. Muang Udon Thani is part of the Lower Mekong Basin. Three affluents of the Songkhram River, which is the third largest tributary of the Mekong, run through the city. The riverbanks are currently and increasingly endangered by human population growth and it’s correlated increasingly with urbanization trends and associated activities. The erosion process is thus accelerated, with the risk of riverbank slope destabilization and river widening. Increasing human settlements nearby the canals amplify the potentiality of these areas to be badly affected in case of heavy rainfalls coupled with insufficient water retaining capacity. In fact, the river flows within concrete channels, which reduce the drainage. Figure 4.4. Map of Udon Thani district Source: GISTDA

4.2.2 Resources

The city plays a major role as a regional and international transport hub as the gateway to Laos, North Vietnam and Southern China. Muang Udon Thani is thereby easily accessible from Bangkok by train or by plane or even by route. Furthermore the main agricultural productions of the region, such as sugarcane, rice straw, cassava, corns, converge to Muang 24 Udon Thani. The city is thus well known for being a primary resources market hub for neighboring provinces. Muang Udon Thani relies on agriculture as income generating primarily derives from local communities by rice farming, rising in wholesale and retail trading activities. Nevertheless most of the soils are sandy loams and loamy sands, which are very low in fertility, very low in water holding capacity, often highly acidic and low in their organic matter content. No efficient irrigation system has been so far developed in the zone. Weather forecast is thereby of primary importance for crop production and the necessary potential adaptation towards possible changes. Large-scale industries include sugar, jute, cassava and rice mills are located in Udon Thani. Small-scale industries such as cotton, silk and mat weaving have also brought revenue to the city. Meanwhile, Udon Thani is part of the northeast region of Thailand, which is the most deprived region economically, with per capita average income less than 40 of the national average. The trend of Udon Thani’s urbanization is rapid and mostly unplanned. The city encompasses four reservoirs, two of them in the direct urban environment. These reservoirs are of important use for the whole region as they provide water supply for public, cattle and agriculture purposes. Meanwhile the gravity of the July 2000 flooding was increased by the overflow of two reservoirs. In fact, water shortage has become a pressing issue as the water supply encounters difficulties to meet the increasing demand. This might have some negative repercussions over agricultural business and could trigger food shortage within the city but also at the regional scale.

4.2.3 Climate