Agriculture Min prepares for upcoming drought season

 

FILE photo

 

BANGKOK, 2 April 2018 (NNT) - Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is preparing the country's water reserves for the upcoming dry season and will closely monitor drought-prone areas in 23 provinces. 

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, Grisada Boonrach, said the country is better equipped to face the dry season than it had been in previous year. However, the ministry has identified and will closely monitor areas that are at risk of drought. 

As of April 1st, the country's reservoirs were at 67 percent capacity, with a combined 50.9 billion cubic meters of water, or seven billion cubic meters more than the same period last year. The country's four main dams in the Chao Phraya River Basin are at 61 percent of their combined capacity. 

The country's water management plan from November 1st, 2017 to April 30th, 2018 has used 82 percent of its resource allotment or 20.68 billion cubic meters. During the same period, the Chao Phraya River Basin alone used up over seven billion cubic meters or 93 percent of the region's allotment. 

Currently over 2 million hectares of farmland is conducting off-season rice planting. The total area is 7 percent over the ministry's target, but is considered manageable and is expected to produce around eight million metric tons of rice. 

Meanwhile, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has identified 74 districts across 23 provinces that are prone to the effects of drought, as they are beyond the department's irrigation zones. However, the RID said these areas are not currently at risk in terms of household consumption. The provinces are to encourage local farmers to plant water-saving crops and to monitor any effects of drought closely. 

According to Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives, Minster Dr. Wiwat Salyakamthorn, the Chao Phraya River Basin water management policy calls for an expedited crop-planting schedule, so that harvesting can be completed before the rainy season to prevent crop damage. Faster harvesting would also allow the fields to be temporarily appropriated for flood management. 

Dr. Wiwat singled out local agriculturalists in Bang Rakam District of Phitsanulok Province, who reverted to fishing during the rainy season, as an example of successful cooperation in water management.

 

-- nnt 2018-04-02

 

this will be good, no matter what precautions they set up farmers simply take what ever they want when they want but then the ministers couldnt organize a piss up in a brewery. Every year we have droughts or floods, even both and nothing has ever stopped the problems they cause. Farmer will always put in another crop even if there is no water, they simply cannot fathom not getting water, lets hope there is enough this year at least for one decent crop and to enable everyone to have water as needed around the houses. Then you have the ministers who do bugger all, with all the water during floods piping it to dams that will need more water during the dry(and are not full) is a no brainer but thats what the ministers suffer from, no brains

Edited April 2, 20188 yr by seajae

2 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

I seem to recall it was the cardboard cutout that said that. So it was only a Pinocchio prediction. Aide seen here making some adjustment to the cutout.

I daren't ask what the aide is adjusting there?

Perhaps there was a dinner dance booking and the aide is making adjustments in the ballroom.

 

 . . . Dr. Wiwat singled out local agriculturalists in Bang Rakam District of Phitsanulok Province, who reverted to fishing during the rainy season, as an example of successful cooperation in water management.

 

Fact is - and it appears that the Ministry is now getting the gist of this dynamic - it's more difficult to fish in any inland, drought-prone region, e.g. Phitsanulok, during the dry season when the rivers and water holes are little more than puddles. Even kids know that they can fish BETTER when there's water in the ponds.

 

Well, at least the general prime minister-cum-water-management guru saw a bit of light, when he recently banned the throwing of water on main streets, during Songkran. If the forecast drought isn't too bad, you can be sure who will be shouting from the rooftops that it was all down to him.

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is preparing the country's water reserves for the upcoming dry season

When was this article written. As far as I know wet season should start at/after Songkran, early May at the latest.

11 minutes ago, Ossy said:

Got it in one . . . and there I was, thinking my posts were too subtle.

Here's another of his favourite faces . . . or facets . . . I call it 'After the Storm'.

After the storm in a teacup probably.

Maybe you were thinking of a faucet - that would keep the water flowing, it could be 'tapped' into very easily.

 

There may be water in the reservoirs, but bugger all rain since the last wet season in the NE. We have only had about ONE centimetre of rain total since October. Driest dry season i have seen in 10 years. Only the high rainfall last year has stopped my fish ponds from drying out yet.

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