Eight Thai provinces on the edge of water crisis

Thursday, 25 Jul 2019

Bangkok: The lack of rain has brought eight provinces to the brink of a water crisis.
Five districts in Nakhon Ratcha­sima – Phimai, Chum Phuang, Non Daeng, Non Sung and Prathai – have suffered drought for nearly three months, with up to 3,200ha of padi fields left parched.
The locals are also struggling to find water as taps have dried up.
All reservoirs in the province are almost empty, especially Phimai dam, and if there is no rain in the next week, all crops will die.
This is believed to be the worst drought in 50 years.
Khon Kaen province, meanwhile, is urgently pumping water into 160ha of drought-hit fields.
Khon Kaen governor Somsak Chungtragoon said he is working with related agencies to follow up on the installation of pumps to push water from a local water basin to nearby “monkey cheeks” – a term coined by the late King Bhumibol to mean a system of water retention areas – so water can be pumped to irrigate crops nearby.
Villager Chantima Pamai said that initially she thought her crops would die but hopes of saving them were renewed after attempts by the governor to provide irrigation.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, meanwhile, has allocated one billion baht (RM133mil) to fund the expansion of local water bodies in drought-hit provinces.
Separately, farmers from Phichit are calling on the Kamphaeng Phet irrigation office to pump water from Ping River to 4,8000ha of their padi fields that are slowly dying due to damage to a local weir, a low-height river dam.
Drought in the province of Phichit has become severe, especially upstream of the Yom River, because the Sam Ngam rubber weir was damaged five years ago.
Village chief Chatchai Sukked, who represents 200 farmers from three districts of Phichit, visited the Kamphaeng Phet irrigation office asking for floodgates to be opened so water can flow into their dry padi fields.
However, Prasert Lumpakorn, chief of the engineering team in the Wangbua water management project, said that it will take seven to 10 days to deliver water to farmers because a local canal is still being constructed and pumps need to be installed.
The lack of rain has left as many as 17 major dams in the country almost empty.

The Thai army has established a centre to monitor the situation in real time so that water can be provided to drought victims efficiently. — The Nation/Asia News Network



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