Eight provinces in Thailand's north, northeast and central part have been suffering severe drought as there is no signs of rain at all.
The
Meteorological Department (MD) recently said Thailand is going to experience the
worst drought in a decade, as average precipitation across large swaths of the
country has fallen far short of the monthly average.
According to the Royal
Irrigation Department, the lack of rain has left 17 major dams in the country
almost empty. The dams are in crisis as water levels fall below 30 percent.
Northeastern
Thailand is
one of the hardest-hit regions. In Nakhon
Ratchasima Province,
over 10,000 rai (1,600 hectares) of rice paddies have been scorched dry.
Farmers say the drought is in its third month, and wasn't halted by a short
rainy spell early July.
Prime Minister Prayut
Chan-o-cha has allocated THB1billion (about US$3.26 million) to finance the
expansion of local water bodies in drought-hit provinces.
The government is trying to
fix the problem with artificial rain-making. The Royal Rainmaking Department,
said Tuesday (July 23) that the rain-making operations are using a total of 23
planes.
The department has carried
out eight operations that resulted in little to medium rain in Lopburi,
Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani, Surin, Sa Kaeo,
and Surat Thani.
Experts say the combination
of a shorter-than-expected rainy season and unregulated agricultural water use
is to blame for the halted livelihoods.
Source: NDO
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