BANGKOK (NNT) – Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon has ordered state agencies to speed up developing groundwater resources and water gates to prevent saltwater intrusion amid predictions of severe drought.
He said the drought crises in the coming months will be similar to those of last year. The government will continue with plans to ensure there are sufficient water resources for household consumption and agriculture.
Gen Prawit said after the meeting of a subcommittee on water resource management that the most pressing concern is that state agencies must work faster to dig underground water wells in drought zones to feed orchards and plants which need less water to grow.
The amount of water held in large and medium-sized state-built reservoirs and dams is currently recorded at 43 billion cubic metres, which is roughly half the level to meet demand in the country over the coming months.
