BANGKOK, 24 June 2015 – The economic cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha today approved drilling of a thousand new groundwater wells and shallow wells in an urgent measure to address drought impacts. Two hundreds of the wells have been drilled so far.
The Cabinet also approved assistance in the second phase in which loans would be offered to farmers who have followed the government’s policy of planting suspension and growing alternative plants.
At the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed his sympathy for the drought-affected farmers and vowed to give them the best support possible. The anti-drought measures would be partially funded by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The rest is from the Central Budget.
Gen Prayut stressed Thai people should stop blaming the Royal Irrigation Department for the ongoing water crisis. All relevant agencies need to take responsibility in water management to ensure the limited amount of the remaining water will use with maximum benefit to agriculture and general consumption while a healthy ecosystem is also maintained.
