My husband and myself are regular visitors to the Benjakitti Forest Park; a sprawling, 72-hectare oasis stretching from Sukhumvit Soi 16 to Rama 3 on the one side, and all the way to Sukhumvit Soi 2 on the other, from where it connects to Suan Lumphini via a 1.3km elevated pedestrian walkway and a bicycle lane. This has made it the biggest recreational space in the very midst of the hurry-flurry and pollution of Sukhumvit.

The ‘Ben Park,’ as we fondly call it, won the WAF Landscape of the Year 2023 Award for its mish-mash of flower beds, lotus ponds, wetlands, and mangroves, which serve as a sanctuary; a living ecosystem to Thailand’s unique flora, fauna, and fowls. Its central, large, and manmade lake is a 128,000 cubic metre reservoir of rainwater; and the wetland plants, by bioremediation, help purify some 1,600 cubic metres a day of the contaminated urban runoff and sewage of the nearby Phai Singto canal.

Songkran festival water splash of Thailand design background, vector illustration

So, the park is doing Thailand proud, and hopefully we citizens can jostle ourselves and our amazingly laid-back, mai-pen-arai government of Amazing Thailand to clean our (ex) amazing khlongs and mae nam, mother-water, rather than being invested in celebrity love lives or the kathoey turf wars! Anyway, we seniors are practicing our bit of common sense this Songkran to save water:

• This oldie remembers that Songkran was originally a beautiful custom to respect the elders by dribbling rose-scented water over their hands. But tourism has blown it out of proportion despite the looming threat of water shortages and the farmers’ woes. So, to retain the Songkran spirit, she’ll buy her grandchildren small-squirt water guns, but she’s also vigilant with the house staff’s usage of water.

• It’s no longer practical for her to collect rain water, neither is it quite possible to change the toilets in the house to the new water-saving type. With the sweltering heat, inevitably more water is being used, though she herself doesn’t drink much. She wishes Songkran could be simmered down or curbed, but more importantly, she hopes the government would do something to clean our khlongs and rivers.

• He strongly feels that countries, especially rich ones with more waste to dump, should invest in practical and cost-effective ways to convert seawater to potable and usable water.

• She reminds her children about the snags they faced when the water pipe in the house burst, and encourages them to use only one glass each throughout the day. She prompts them to value and appreciate the gift of water by exercising common sense (which isn’t common).

• She helps in the little things – turning the tap off while brushing, and soaping. Of course, the major water usage is in the hands of the helpers, and she doesn’t have much control over how much they use.

• He takes quick showers, and skips a day to water the plants.

• With the many calamities happening in Japan and the wars around the world, she’s relearning the value of water and is trying to be more practical with her overzealous cleaning and laundry. She’s also alert to close the taps while soaping, brushing teeth, and washing dishes.

• She turns off the faucet while brushing teeth, and runs the washing machine only when the load is at full capacity.

• He feels that car washes waste an unnecessary amount of water and that the car manufacturers should design machines using less water. Also, the richer countries and those living in opulent homes should be more thoughtful about their higher water consumption.

• She’s cautious about her usage of natural resources, especially water, which is taken for granted. She asserts that just a little awareness can go a long way; like closing taps when brushing teeth, washing vessels, not excessively watering the plants, and never ignoring a dripping tap.

• She believes that it all starts and ends with using each drop with mindfulness, whether while brushing one’s teeth, taking a shower, or doing the dishes. Small acts of awareness help conserve large amounts of water at the end of the day.