Families come out of their homes to the Nongprue-Pong public park, situated about 15 minutes from Pattaya City, and enjoy the evening together after a month long ‘stay-at-home’ campaign.
After weeks of staying at home, Pattaya residents flocked to parks as Thailand began lifting its coronavirus lockdown.
Hundreds of people headed to the nearly empty Mabprachan Reservoir to enjoy the surrounding greenery, jogging, bicycling and exercising despite scorching temperatures and humidity.
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For some, it was their first chance to see the expanded Mabprachan Park, which was completed in December and shut down by March to prevent gatherings that could spread Covid-19.
Bikes were available to rent May 3, ice cream trucks served up sweets while other vendors offered fried meatballs, iced tea and coffee to go. People could eat, but they had to keep moving, as sitting in groups is still banned.
Park patrons said the reopening couldn’t have come any sooner. Many complained they were feeling unhealthy and gaining weight from lack of exercise, not to mention going batty from being stuck inside for six weeks.
The bicycling track that goes around the Mabprachan reservoir, approx. 10 kilometers, still attracts muscle flexing enthusiasts. Some came to play badminton with their families. They can also rent bicycles and peddle them around through the beautiful scenes of the reservoir for less than a hundred baht.The drought at Mabprachan reservoir has entered a critical state. And that is the next most serious problem the authorities have to solve for the surrounding villages. Rains are also scarce. It will not be as much as last year as the irrigation office have been telling us since the last meeting.
This shocking picture shows how dangerous the water situation is for Pattaya City and the surrounding villages when we can see a car parked and people walking around on the bed of the reservoir.People are starting to come out of their homes, wishing to take a deep breath of the fresh air by Mabprachan reservoir after a month long quarantine at home.
The reservoir has been dry for too long, grass has started to grow in the exposed soil, another big headache the authorities will have to face after the coronavirus.
