Farmers in central Thailand are being advised to delay planting crops due to low water levels in the Pasakjolasid Dam, the region’s largest reservoir. According to Chuphong Itsarat, director of the Pasakjolasid Irrigation and Maintenance Project, the dam currently holds approximately 148.4 million cubic meters of water, which is about 15% of its total capacity.
Authorities are recommending that until the Thai Meteorological Department declares the start of the rainy season, farmers in Lopburi’s Phatthana Nikhom district and adjacent areas should either postpone their cultivation or opt for less water-intensive crops. Thailand’s rainy season typically begins in mid-May and continues until mid-October.
To conserve water, starting this week, the facility will reduce its water discharge rate from 3.4 million cubic meters to 1.3 million cubic meters per day. This reduction is part of a strategy to ensure there is sufficient water for agriculture, consumption, and industrial use in the downstream communities for the next three to four months.
Despite the dam having stored 1.01 billion cubic meters of water last rainy season, equivalent to 106% of its capacity, higher-than-expected temperatures have led to rapid water depletion. Approximately 800 million cubic meters have already been used, leaving less remaining water than anticipated for the current dry period. (NNT)
