BANGKOK, 8 May 2019 (NNT) – During the dry season, GISTDA has issued a report on the situation at small water sources and farm areas using satellite images, serving as initial analysis for other agencies related to water management.
In the past week, GISTDA has analysed 141,022 small surface-level ponds no larger than .32 hectares, and has discovered three provinces, namely Pathum Thani, Phichit, and Phitsanulok, to have less than 30% of their water capacity.
If the weather forecast shows rain shortages, or in the case of El-Nino which many people talk about, the water availability projection may be altered due to external factors from these conditions.
Regarding the latest situation in off-season rice farming, the latest data dated 2 May 2019 shows 1.44 million hectares of rice farm being harvested from the total 2.08 million hectares, with farms in Chao Phraya River Basin in the central region, approximately 320,000 hectares, planned for harvest later in May, except for another 320,000 hectares planned for continual rice farming in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, and Suphan Buri where harvest is planned for July to August, posing risk of damage from any potential water shortage or delayed start of the rainy season this year.
In comparison to overall rice farming area in 2018, the overall farmland this year is about 160,000 hectares smaller than the previous year, showing farmers’ cooperation with the government’s measures.
