PATHUM THANI, 19 July 2015 – Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Pitiphong Puengbun Na Ayutthaya has traveled to Saraburi and Pathum Thani provinces to monitor the drought situation. The minister emphasized the government’s measure to prohibit farmers from pumping water in 22 provinces.
The minister, the director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department and entourage on Sunday went to the Rama IX 9 reservoir in Pathum Thani to follow up on solutions to drought and water shortage in the Chao Pharaya river basin provinces. The minister said the reservoir had sufficient water for people in the Khlong 5 and Khlong 6 areas as well as some nearby areas in the province.
The Rama XI reservoir has the total capacity of 33 million cubic meters. It has provided water for more than 700 households and 20,000 Rai of farmland.
The minister also urged farmers in the 22 provinces to stop pumping water, saying there would be more water soon since the rains had started to fall.
