NAKHON RATCHASIMA, 23 March 2017 (NNT) – Government agencies have offered assistance to farmers in several provinces affected by the drought crisis.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, the Office of Northeastern Royal Rainmaking Operation Center revealed that crops grown on more than 100 rais of farmland in Kham Talayso district have begun to wilt and die after weeks without water. Another round of cloud seeding operation is set to take place in the near future to save the remaining plants in the area.
Previous artificial rainmaking operations were carried out with an aim to raise the amount of water in Lamtaklong Dam since the majority of households in lower Issan depend on the water supply from the dam. The dam now has sufficient water for household consumption throughout the summer.
In Chainat, a tropical storm has raised the amount of water in Chaopraya Dam by 10 centimeters. Despite the increase, the water level is still below the standard level by 15 meters.
The water is still being released from the dam daily to keep the saltwater away and to sustain a healthy ecosystem. Farmers in Chainat have been asked for the third time to refrain from growing off-season rice.
In Khao Saming district of Trat province, local authorities are drilling underground water to help Ban Kasemsuk Community residents suffering from a water shortage.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged people to adopt the government’s new approach to water management in order to preserve the water, saying Thailand only needs more reservoirs to ensure continuous supplies of water for home consumption. Gen Prayut added the government would find a way to overcome environmental issues and have new reservoirs built to store more water.
