Description
The Nam Un Reservoir (น้ำอูน), also known as Nam Oun Dam, is a beautiful man-made lake in Sakon Nakhon province. The lake is home to the historic mountain temple Wat Doi Thep Niramit, which sits atop a forested hill on the reservoir's only island.
The entire area around the lake, with the Phu Phan mountains visible in the distance, is one of the most serene areas in Sakon Nakhon, with a cool breeze frequently blowing across the waters. It thus is not surprising it has attracted famous Thai monks, such as Ajahn Man Phurithatto and Ajahn Fun Acharo, who spent time meditating in the forests and caves of the area.
The Nam Un Reservoir was formed in 1967, when the Thai irrigation department blocked the Nam Un River, known as Mae Nam Un (แม่น้ำอูน) in Thai. The reservoir is so large that the villages surrounding the dam are located in three separate districts: Amphur Phan Khon, Phanna Nikhom, and Waritchaphum. In 1994, part of the area around the lake eventually became it own district, named Amphur Nikhom Nam Un, with a population of around 5,300, including members of the including the Phu Thai (ภูไท) and Kaleng (กะเลิง) indigenous tribes.
The dam ridge of the Nam Un Reservoir is 3,000 meters long, and the lake holds around 297,280,000 square meters of water during the rainy season, which is then partially released during the dry season for irrigation purposed. The Nam Un River that feeds into the reservoir originates in the Phu Phan Mountains of Sakon Nakhon, and flows into the Mekong River in the neighboring province of Nakhon Phanom.
