Earlier drought this year, but not too severe

BANGKOK: -- Despite current drought in Thailand's North and Northeast -- which villagers complain has arrived unusually quickly this year -- the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) says that water shortages in 2007 will not be as bad as in 1991 when Thailand was hit by the country's most severe drought.

Presently, water stored nationwide has irrigated as area amounting to 78 per cent of the total capacity, 6 per cent more than last year, according to RID director-general Samart Chokkanapitak.

He said his department would allocate water to 27.9 million rai within irrigated areas and nine million rai for general farming. The department will supply water pumps and necessary equipment to areas totalling four million rai which are outside irrigated areas with an aim to cushion water shortage problem.

Rainfall earlier this month in the East and Northeastern regions had relieved drought conditions as demands for more water for industrial plants in the Eastern seaboard would be met until the end of next year, Mr. Samart said.

This year's drought will not be as severe as in the early 1990s when the water in the Bhumibol and Sirikit dams receded to a very dangerous levels and water had to be diverted from other sources to prevent seawater from entering farmland, he said.

Although Mr. Samart was optimistic regarding sufficient water during the coming summer, he said if severe drought continues to next year, drought on in 2009 would likely become worse.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department forecast that Thailand's currently minimal rainfall would end within the next two-three months. Many people are worried about global warming which they believe means that overall temperatures in Thailand could rise further 0.6 to 1 degree Celsius.

Higher temperatures would force people to consume more water and lead to more wildfires in the country.

--TNA 2007-03-11

I was not here in 1991 so I cannot say if it worse than then or not.

As for it not being too severe I suggest that Mr Samart comes to live in my house for a while.

We have had no governmet water for 2 months with a possibility of another 2 months according to the RID before the wet season comes.

My normal water charge is 2 baht per 1,000 litres and now I buy it by the 4,000 litre tanker load and that costs 200 baht or 25 times the normal rate.

The stream we usually pump from has virtually dried up and if anybody up stream uses it nobody downstream can.

The village 6 km away is on a different system and they still have water.

With usually 7 adults and a small child we tend to use a fair amout of water daily.

Time to "bath with a friend", as the UK government once suggested.