TAK, Thailand – A sharp jolt unsettled residents on Monday morning as a magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck at an extremely shallow depth of just 1 km, with its epicenter less than 50 kilometers from the massive Bhumibol Dam. With reservoirs across the country already near capacity, the tremor prompted immediate concern, but the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) insists the incident poses no threat to dam safety.
The quake occurred at 09:36 a.m. on 18 November, centered in Ban Na Subdistrict, Sam Ngao District, Tak Province, at latitude 17.4360° north and longitude 98.5600° east. The epicenter was approximately 48.81 kilometers northwest of Bhumibol Dam, 163.61 kilometers southwest of Mae Chang Dam, 215.68 kilometers west of Sirikit Dam, 293.63 kilometers north of Vajiralongkorn Dam, 342.45 kilometers north of Sri Nakharin Dam, 942.53 kilometers north of Ratchaprapha Dam, and 1,289.98 kilometers north of Bang Lang Dam.
Seismic instruments at each dam detected very low levels of ground acceleration, far below thresholds that would affect structural integrity. Bhumibol Dam recorded a maximum of 0.00277 g, Mae Chang 0.00122 g, Sirikit 0.00003 g, Vajiralongkorn 0.00045 g, Sri Nakharin 0.00038 g, Ratchaprapha 0.00025 g, and Bang Lang 0.0004 g.
EGAT confirmed that the earthquake has no impact on the stability or safety of Bhumibol Dam, Mae Chang Dam, Sirikit Dam, Vajiralongkorn Dam, Sri Nakharin Dam, Ratchaprapha Dam, Bang Lang Dam, or any other EGAT-operated reservoirs, most of which are currently storing water at near-full capacity.
