BANGKOK, 1 October 2014 The Interior Minister has instructed related city halls to be prepared for the arrival of drought in 2015.
Interior Minister Gen. Anupong Paochinda said that the latest assessment of the weather outlook shows that drought will likely hit many areas in Thailand in 2015 while the dry spell may arrive earlier, be more severe and last longer than usual.
Data from the Meteorological Department suggested that the amount of accumulated rain water in 2014 has been much lower than normal while the Royal Irrigation Department reported that water behind medium- and large-sized reservoirs this year is already 5.3 million cubic meters less than last year’s.
In order to efficiently handle the problem, Gen. Anupong has instructed officials of all provinces at risk of experiencing severe drought to set up command centers in their areas while preparing prevention measures and solutions before drought arrives.
All city halls have also been told to collaborate with the Royal Irrigation Department office and the Provincial Agricultural Office in their provinces to help farmers handle the dry spell.
In addition, the Interior Minister has urged all related offices to keep track of the drought situation and its impacts while submitting accurate assessment and reports regularly and continuously beginning from December 15.
