BANGKOK, 30 January 2013 Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Yokol Limlaenthong has assured that there will be enough water for consumption throughout the dry season this year.
The minister said after a meeting with the ministry’s executives on Wednesday that at present there were around 55 billion cubic meters of water stored at all reservoirs nationwide. 31 billion cubic meters of the total amount were usable, decreasing from the volume in December last year. The ministry has a plan to use 23.5 billion cubic meters of water during the dry season with more than 10 billion cubic meters already used, Mr Yokol said.
The minister confirmed there would be sufficient water for consumption until the beginning of the rainy season and for the annual rice cultivation after drought.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department Sanchai Ketworachai said the department had asked farmers in the Northeast whose fields were using irrigated water from eight reservoirs, to stop planting crops during the dry season. The request is in line with department’s water distribution plan aimed at maintaining enough water for local consumption until the rainy season.
