PHICHIT, March 22 – Serious drought has expanded to wider areas in the north, particularly in this province where off-season rice farming of almost 400,000 rai is threatened.
Phichit is experiencing its most severe drought in the past decade, causing main rivers and natural water sources to run dry as well as being troublesome to local farmers.
The provincial irrigation and disaster response office has allocated water for local residents from the Sirikit Dam and Khwae Noi Bamrungdan Dam to provide initial relief from the problem, but only until the beginning of April.
Meanwhile, in Chaiyaphum, drought has taken deeper hold and continues expanding more widely, causing local authorities to name five of the province’s 16 districts as disaster zones.
Local farmers were forced to move their cattle to more remote areas to find grazing land, as there is no water to replenish the grasslands to feed the animals. Some cattle, losing weight and unable to be fed, are being sold cheaply, as farmers are forced to cut their losses
