BANGKOK, 2 May 2019 (NNT) – Addressing the widespread drought disaster affecting many areas, the water resources monitoring and management subcommittee has ordered all agencies to continue drought mitigation operations, especially in provinces facing a risk of water shortages, instructing the Ministry of the Interior to inspect natural water resources already in crisis.
The water resources monitoring and management subcommittee meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Chatchai Sarikulya has instructed all agencies to pursue drought mitigation and short-term water shortage prevention measures by distributing water in affected areas, repairing groundwater wells, and excavating canals. He also directed the Ministry of the Interior to inspect natural water resources where water availability is at crisis level, authorizing provinces to be the main organizer of water management and the source of assistance in drought-hit areas, to find additional water resources for tap water making, and ordering the Office of the National Water Resources to make farming plans which help mitigate the effects of drought the next year. The meeting also considered water management measures for the rainy season in each area corresponding to current water availability, aiming to store as much water as possible in each region.
Irrigation projects have since yesterday distributed water to farmers in 12 lowland areas of the central region, including Thung Bang Ban and Sena in Ayutthaya where farmers are preparing to begin their rice farming cycle. Farmers downstream will be starting their rice growing later this year, however the harvest will have to be completed by mid-September this year.
Farmers in Thung Ban Pan say they have to pump water into farms by themselves as the area has yet to receive irrigation water, while any further delays to commencing farming will pose problems as they are required to harvest early, so that the area can later be used for water retention.
The Bang Ban Water Distribution and Maintenance Project Director, Worawit Boonyanet said today that farmers in the area have agreed to access water together; the project will operate water pumps 12 hours a day for 100,000 rai of farmlands with 12 pumping stations covering Bang Ban, Sena, Bang Sai, Bang Pa-in, and Ayutthaya districts, enabling farmers to farm from now until September.
The 12 lowlands in the Chao Phraya River Basin cover areas in 10 provinces south of Chao Phraya Dam, namely Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat, Lopburi, Saraburi, Singburi, Ang Thong, Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri, Pathum Thani, and Nonthaburi, covering 1.15 million rai of cultivation areas.
