Drought Situation Improves Considerably

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Drought situation improves considerably

BANGKOK: -- Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the country’s severe drought has eased as a result of making artificial rain on the King’s advice. This has helped increase the water in 30 large reservoirs by 170 million cubic metres.

Three dams, including Chulabhorn, now have sufficient water. Only Tub Salao and Ka Siew dams in Suphanburi province are still critically low, said Mr. Thaksin during his weekly radio address on Saturday.

Only 65 provinces are now suffering from the lack of water compared to 71 before. The number of villages with insufficient water has fallen to 32,000 from 44,000 villages.

About two million families are currently facing water shortages down by nearly a million. The agricultural area affected, earlier estimated to be 11.7 million rai, is now only 2.4 million rai, he said.

The Labour Ministry has helped people arriving in Bangkok from the country to find jobs.

The authorities have set up an employment counter at Mo Chit Bus Terminal. They have also provided labour skills training programs in rural areas to help villagers establish their own businesses after completing the training, he said.

Small inexpensive weirs, built on the King's advice in the northern region, have proved successful in reviving trees which were almost dead, he added.

--TNA 2005-04-02